Awwww:

Let’s help this sanctuary.

The longing for basic joys and freedom is universal: it’s sentient.

Circus Lion Freed From Cage Feels Earth Beneath His Paws For The First Time in Brazil

Footage shared this week by the Rancho dos Gnomos Santuário in Brazil shows the thrilling moment a lion named Will experiences, for the first time, the feeling of soil and grass beneath his feet. Prior to being rescued and taken to the sanctuary, Will had been forced to perform with a traveling circus. For 13 long years, the lion had been confined to a cramped cage and denied any semblance of a normal existence.

“…this is for a good cause.

This particular animal sanctuary is called Rancho dos Gnomos (“ranch of the gnomes”), and they have an ongoing fundraising campaign (only 20 more days!) in order to buy a bigger sanctuary.

They do awesome work, but their current one is situated in a city that went through a rather quick development in the last few years, and they are unable to expand their area, despite continuing to rescue animals from circuses, traffic, fur industry, victims of deforestation, forest fire, abandonment etc.

They’re trying to raise funds to purchase land in an area much less developed and with plenty of room to grow as they need.

Please consider going to their fundraising campaign (http://www.santuarioanimal.com.br/) and donating.

I don’t know whether international credit cards will work, and unfortunately they don’t have an English version of the website. But their cause is just, and their work is serious.”