22/04/2026
Rest in peace, Abdullah.
Abdullah was one of three cubs sired by Gandor, New Zealand’s first White Lion, and the Barbary lioness Shikira. From a young age, Abdullah formed a close bond with Khan, a Royal Bengal White Tiger, and the two developed an exceptional companionship.
Abdullah’s siblings were named Tshaka and Cleo. Cleo is still living at Craig’s former park, while Tshaka, unfortunately, passed away at a young age due to neglect by previous carers.
It is with sadness that we acknowledge the passing of one of Craig’s cats in New Zealand. Unfortunately, Craig was not informed prior to Abdullah being put to sleep. This is particularly concerning given that a formal agreement had been established between Craig and Murray Bolton, which stated that Craig would receive regular monthly updates regarding the health and wellbeing of his cats.
We understand that the land on which Craig’s cats are currently housed has recently been sold and is now under new ownership. We would like to formally clarify that the cats remain the property of the Busch Wildlife Foundation at all times. Ownership has never been transferred to Murray Bolton, nor to the current or any previous owners of the property.
When Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary opened and began exhibiting the cats in question, this action constituted conversion by the previous management. This is because no permission had been granted by Craig for the cats—who are the property of the Busch Wildlife Foundation—to be displayed or used in this manner.
