The Wild Animal Sanctuary is a U.S. organization that specializes in rescuing and caring for large predators which are being ill-treated, for which their owners can no longer care, or which might otherwise be euthanized. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a state and federally licensed zoological facility.

Created in 1980, The Wild Animal Sanctuary is situated on 720 acres (291 ha) of grassland near Keenesburg, Colorado

Keenesburg, Colorado

Keenesburg is a Statutory Town in Weld County, Colorado, United States. The population was 855 at the 2000 census. The population has grown exponentially.-Geography:Keenesburg is located at ....

 North of Denver, and has helped over 1,000 animals since it first opened. As of 2010, it was home to over 290 animals.

Mission

The stated mission of the sanctuary is "to rescue captive large carnivores who have been abused, abandoned, illegally kept or exploited; to create for them a wonderful life for as long as they live; and to educate about the causes and solutions to the Captive Wildlife Crisis." The sanctuary states that there are many large carnivores living outside the zoo system in the United States, including 4000 or so tigers living as pets in Texas alone, and many of these come from the black market trade in exotic animals.

History

Pat Craig started The Wild Animal Sanctuary when he took in a Jaguar cub that he kept on a licensed facility on his family's farm outside Boulder, Colorado

Boulder, Colorado

Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...

. The animals were soon moved to Lyons, Colorado

Lyons, Colorado

Lyons is a Statutory Town in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,585 at the 2000 census. Lyons is located at the confluence of the North St. Vrain Creek and the South St. Vrain Creek, twenty miles east of Rocky Mountain National Park. Due to its location at the...

 to provide additional space. After 8 years in Lyons, a limestone quarry was opened nearby, forcing the sanctuary to move.

In 2005, largely because of relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina and the Indonesia tsunami, donations to the sanctuary decreased significantly, and by mid 2006 the staff thought the sanctuary would need to close. In order to help raise money, the sanctuary was opened to the public, started selling donated merchandise, brought in more volunteers, and started a program of sponsoring individual animals.

Facilities

The sanctuary aims to eventually get all of their animals into large acreage habitats. It designed with a central compound for receiving new animals and starting their recuperation and acclimation into these larger habitats. The lower floor of the main compound houses these animals and the upper floor is an education center. The animals in this area have indoor/outdoor enclosures with play structures, and heated areas for the winter. The common pool area where tigers can take turns playing includes a waterfall.

As of 2010, the sanctuary has 21 large 5 to 25 acre (2 to 10.1 ), species specific habitats that are home to over 290 Lion

Lion

The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...

s, Tiger

Tiger

The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...

s, Bear

Bear

Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...

s, Leopard

Leopard

The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...

s, Cougars, Wolves and other large carnivores. Habitats include pools for swimming and underground dens that stay at a constant temperature year round. Visitors can view these animals in their natural habitats from a series of elevated catwalks accessed from the education center.

Education

Estimates in 2007 were that 25,000 or more wild animals were living in captivity outside the zoo system in the United States. Many of these are mistreated or abused, and many are being kept illegally. The Wild Animal Sanctuary believes that education about these animals is critical to informing the public and helping to provide better conditions for these animals. To this end, the visitor center at the sanctuary provides information about these animals, and the sanctuary has speakers who will do presentations for a variety of organizations.