World Teachers’ Day 2025: LIONSROCK Celebrates South African Educators Who Inspire Compassion and Conservation
Empowering the next generation through animal welfare education and community leadership
Bethlehem, 03 October 2025 — In celebration of World Teachers’ Day, LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary is honouring all educators who go beyond the classroom to instill values of empathy, responsibility, and environmental stewardship. The sanctuary recently welcomed learners from Caritas College and Thebe Public School, showcasing how experiential learning can ignite a lifelong commitment to caring for animals and the planet.
Located just outside Bethlehem, LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary is home to nearly 100 rescued big cats from around the world. Operated by global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS, the sanctuary offers a safe haven for lions, tigers, and leopards rescued from captivity and abuse, while also serving as a hub for animal welfare education.
Thebe Public School from Mamafubedu brought 28 learners, some as young as six, to experience the sanctuary’s educational programme. Thebe Public School from Mamafubedu brought 28 learners, some as young as six, to experience the sanctuary’s educational programme. A teacher from the school explained:
The visit gave learners a firsthand look at how LIONSROCK rehabilitates animals rescued from circuses, zoos, and private ownership. “LIONSROCK takes care of those animals, bringing them from places where they’re hurt or not fed, and gives them a safe home,” the teacher added.
LIONSROCK continues to welcome schools from across the country to engage with its educational programmes. The sanctuary invites educators to explore ethical animal welfare education as a powerful extension of classroom learning, one that fosters empathy, critical thinking, and a deeper respect for all living beings. Join LIONSROCK in shaping a generation that values compassion over exploitation.
For more information, please visit our website at LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary
ENDS/
Deidre Daniels
Public Relations Officer+27 (0)21 702 4277
+27 (0)78 675 8220
9B Bell Crescent, Westlake Business Park,
Green Building, Cape Town, 7945
A Public Relations professional with over eight years’ experience in fostering positive relationships between organisations and media.
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FOUR PAWS is the global animal welfare organisation for animals under direct human influence, which reveals suffering, rescues animals in need and protects them. Founded in 1988 in Vienna by Heli Dungler and friends, the organisation advocates for a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy and understanding. The sustainable campaigns and projects of FOUR PAWS focus on companion animals including stray dogs and cats, farm animals and wild animals – such as bears, big cats and orangutans – kept in inappropriate conditions as well as in disaster and conflict zones. With offices in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, the UK, the USA and Vietnam as well as sanctuaries for rescued animals in eleven countries, FOUR PAWS provides rapid help and long-term solutions. www.four-paws.org.za