Our Major Programs...

 

 

Mission: 

 

• To prevent and alleviate cruelty to animals which are abandoned or were subject to deprivation or neglect, by providing care and boarding.

 

• To rescue and provide life-long homes for large, exotic and endangered captive wild animals and to educate the public about the causes of and solutions to the world’s Captive Wildlife Crisis.

 

America and the world have a captive wildlife crisis. As many as 30,000 captive great cats, Bears, Wolves and other large carnivores are living in substandard conditions throughout the U.S. In fact, after illegal drugs and weapons, the exotic animal trade is the third largest source of illicit profits in America—and the world—today.

 

The Wild Animal Sanctuary is all about saving the victims of this crisis. We crisscross the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central and South America and the rest of the world rescuing captive exotic and endangered large carnivores that have been abused, abandoned, exploited or illegally kept.

 

We have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles to more than 45 states, many multiple times, on rescue missions, and into Mexico, Panama, Bolivia, Uruguay, South Korea, Saipan, Lebanon, Argentina and many other countries over the years.  We rescue animals from dreadful circumstances and bringing them back to the wide open space of large acreage habitats where they have plenty of freedom, exceptional diets and proper veterinary care for as long as they live.

 

Our goal is to give them a life of dignity and respect and to make their life as it would be if they could choose. TWAS also works tirelessly to educate humans about the causes of, and solutions to, the Captive Wildlife Crisis.

 

Who We Are:

 

Established in 1980, The Wild Animal Sanctuary (TWAS) is a state and federally licensed zoological facility and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our educational facility is located outside of Keenesburg, Colorado, 30 miles northeast of Denver, on 1,450 acres of rural, rolling grasslands, sheltering more than 950 large carnivores and other species of exotic animals!  TWAS is the largest and oldest Exotic Animal Sanctuary of its kind in the World.  

 

The Wild Animal Refuge (TWAR) is a 10,000-acre property located in southern Colorado near the town of Springfield, CO.  This facility is not open to the public and hosts rescued animals in amazingly-natural habitats ranging upwards in size of 5 to 300+ acres in size. 

 

The Wild Horse Refuge (TWHR) in Craig, CO was acquired in early January 2023! TWHR is a 30,000-acre Sanctuary that was created entirely for rescued Wild Mustangs that were taken from BLM Herd Management located within Colorado. The Wild Horses living on this special property are now protected and have regained the freedom and independence they had prior to government interference. TWHR is the largest Mustang Sanctuary of its kind in the World.

 

For the past 46+ years, TWAS has responded to more than 1,000 requests from private citizens and government agencies to rescue animals from across the United States and around the world. Our resident animals were abandoned, abused, kept illegally or were victims or other terrible situations. Most were the pets of private citizens, but were confiscated by law enforcement officials for being in illegal or abusive situations. Others were surplus animals from zoos and other wildlife facilities, where they faced euthanasia due to over-breeding, overcrowding or closure due to inadequate finances.

 

Our 950+ exotic animal residents include Tigers, African Lions, Black Bears, Grizzly Bears, Mountain Lions, Leopards, Wolves, Hyenas, Cheetahs, African Servals, Bobcats, Foxes, Lynx, Coyotes, Coati Mundi, Kangaroos, Wallabies, Raccoon, Ostriches, Emu, Camels, Alpacas, Yaks, Wild Horses, Donkeys and rescued dogs and cats.

 

Why Our Work Is Important

 

Illegal trade in exotic and endangered species is a problem of epic proportions:

• Only the drug and gun trades are larger in terms of their scope and profit throughout the world today.

• Just in America, an estimated 30,000 large exotic animals live outside our zoos.

• More Tigers live as pets just in the state of Texas than currently live in the wild all over the world. 

• The Humane Society of the United States estimates that 10,000 to 15,000 big cats are in private hands, from cages in basements to roadside zoos-- most of them in squalid and inhumane conditions.

• The United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) currently has more than 70,000 wild horses being held in long-term holding facilities due to the lack of private facilities and individuals that can adopt them after agency round ups take place.

                                                                                                          

While the number of captive large carnivores continues to increase, federal and state entities have finally begun to impose regulations to slow the trade. Currently more than 46 states have varying laws that ban or hinder keeping large exotic animals as pets. Thankfully, Colorado, which is home to TWAS, TWAR and TWHR, banned big cats as pets almost 40 years ago, and in 2004 adopted some of the country’s toughest regulations and standards for big cat sanctuaries.

 

Of the roughly 20 accredited sanctuaries in the United States, only about a dozen take in big cats, Bears or other large carnivores. Of those, most only have the capacity to hold 50-100 of these highly dangerous and expensive animals. Consequently, TWAS plays a critical role in providing a safe haven and maintaining long-term shelter for the vast majority of large carnivores that end up needing placement.

 

We work closely with city, state and federal agencies to provide relief when they confiscate animals. Unfortunately, with tens of thousands of large exotics living outside our zoo system today and being bred annually, the need for our services is increasingly urgent.

 

Our Current Programs

 

Our facilities are some of the most state-of-the-art in the nation. We have built more than 120 species-specific habitats ranging greatly in size, for Tiger, Wolf, Black Bear, Grizzly Bear, African Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Lynx and Bobcat. Other animals dwell in very large enclosures during their rehabilitation process and are carefully joined into cohesive groups that ultimately will have new habitats built for them to live in. These roomy, comfortable environments offer our rescued animals unprecedented freedom and more natural living spaces. All of our large-acreage habitats have unique underground dens that are spacious, comfortable and maintain constant temperature of about 60 degrees all year long.

 

Unlike many sanctuaries with wooden den boxes backed up to the animals’ cages, TWAS has in-habitat underground and heated dens that provide year-round temperature-controlled environments, which can be important during extreme weather conditions and provide the perfect setting for the beginning stages of rehabilitation. It also allows for maximum efficiency when cleaning, delivering food or moving animals for veterinary care.

 

TWAS’s Mile into the Wild Walkway is a unique system of elevated walkways and observation platforms which allows visitors to view the animals roaming freely within their habitats. This elevated system is a critical part of our ability to accommodate visitors, as it prevents humans from posing a threat to the animals’ territory. In addition, within our unique and immersive Education Center, we provide numerous multimedia presentations about animal rescues and the Captive Wildlife Crisis.

 

We focus on three specific programs to advance our mission:

 

Wild Animal Rescue

 

Since 1980 The Wild Animal Sanctuary has answered the call to rescue captive exotic and endangered large carnivores living in backyards, apartments, tiny cages, garages, crawl spaces, horse trailers, barns and many other terrible situations within the United States and abroad.

 

Our rescued animals come from private owners who have obtained animals illegally, or have found they are unable offer proper care for their animals... as well as surplus from zoos, entertainment industry rejects or retirees, roadside attractions, exotic animal auctions, facilities that have been closed due to animal abuse, public safety concerns or financial problems. In fact, most of the animals are confiscated by federal, state or local law enforcement officials.

 

TWAS has specially designed and outfitted rescue vans, trucks and trailers and custom-built travel cages, all providing temperature-controlled comfort for the animals during transport. Our rescues have been small - from saving a single African Lion, Tiger and Mountain Lion from a crawl space in Colorado... to huge, such as a massive rescue involving more than 400 animals that were suffering within a hurricane-devastated zoo on the island of Puerto Rico. Other notable rescues involved traveling to Oklahoma, Indiana, Florida and other various states to save more than 147 Tigers and other exotic animals that were being held at a number of the infamous "Tiger King"  facilities - to rescuing hundreds of big cats, Bears and other suffering animals from countries like Canada, Mexico, Panama, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Spain, Lebanon, Ukraine, Saipan and South Korea.

 

TWAS works closely with national, state and international law enforcement agencies, as well as many animal welfare agencies and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These organizations depend on us to provide safe and humane wild animal rescue services. We also work with zoos and wildlife facilities that need assistance with own internal issues.

 

TWAS also provides short-term foster care and animal protection services during pending court actions, as well as permanent guardianship after legal custody has been obtained. And finally, with our Wild Horse Refuge, we are also rescuing and providing sanctuary to hundreds of wild horses (Mustangs) that were removed from their wild lands by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) due to overpopulation issues.

​

The Wild Horse Refuge allows these wild horses to live as close to their original life of running free and living in natural bands. 

 

Animal Care Program

 

It is our goal to place all our animals into large acreage habitats where they can experience life with plenty of space, diets of exceptional quality, expert veterinary care and freedom from performing, traveling or doing things Nature did not intend.

 

Once the rescued animals arrive at TWAS, TWAR, or TWAS-Texas, they are given solitude to adjust to their new home. Depending on the level and type of abuse they have suffered, they are rehabilitated with loving care, so they learn to trust humans and other animals.

 

Animals live in a variety of places on our grounds, based on their species and time at our facilities. Those living in the main compound at TWAS have inside/outside enclosures, with heated areas in winter. They also have a wide variety of play structures, including pools for the Tigers. The main animals’ house has gates that allow the cats to take turns in the Tiger Pool area, which features multiple pools, waterfalls and streams for friendly animal play.

 

Habitats – TWAS Keenesburg has over 90 habitats, ranging in size from 5 to 25 acres and is located on rolling prairie grasslands with pools and seasonal lakes. They all include underground dens that stay about 60 degrees year-round, shade shelters and play structures with all kinds of toys and enrichment.

 

Habitats – TWAR Springfield has over 10 habitats, ranging in size from 5 to 300 acres and is located in forested canyon country with cliffs, buttes, mesas and other stimulating topography, as well as springs, streams, pools and seasonal lakes.

​

Both TWAS and TWAR feature underground dens that stay about 60 degrees year-round, shade shelters and play structures with all kinds of toys and natural enrichment.

​

Habitats – TWAS-Texas features numerous 3 to 5 acre Bear Habitats, where nearly 40 bears can romp, explore and play.  Other areas of the Sanctuary feature large enclosures that are built for big cats, Wolves and numerous smaller animals like Ocelots, African Servals and Bobcats.

​

Habitats – TWHR Craig has no paddocks, stock pens, fenced pastures, or other smaller and more restrictive spaces in use. Instead of being relegated to pens or smaller pastures where they might have an occasional opportunity to run one or two hundred yards – or possibly even a few thousand feet… the wild horses living at the Refuge continue to run until they choose to stop!

 

Diet – The animals are fed on a random schedule, as they would eat in the wild, to address their natural biological needs.  Every week TWAS, TWAR, TWAS-Texas, & TWHR feed more than 48,000 pounds of top quality, USDA-inspected meats (beef, poultry, mutton, pork, etc) blended with vitamins and nutrients to great cats and Wolves, about two-thirds of our animal population. The entire amount (approximately 4.7 million dollars worth) is donated.  Yet, this food doesn't get here magically, so the Sanctuary operates a fleet of trucks with professional drivers that travel to more than 93 donating stores across the Front Range of Colorado.  The cost to pick up this meat twice per week and maintain the drivers, trucks, fuel, insurance and equipment maintenance is more than $450,000 annually.

 

We feed another 50,000 pounds of food to our Bears each week. While the fruits, vegetables, eggs, raw fish and grains for the Bears are also donated (another 4.9 million dollars worth), it costs an additional $450,000 annually for the transportation of their food.

 

Veterinary Care – We provide exceptional veterinary care for our animals. Upon arrival, they are checked and vaccinated if necessary. Since there is no breeding allowed, male animals not already neutered undergo a sterilization procedure when they arrive. However, male African Lions' manes are dependent on high testosterone levels, so neutering procedures would cause them to lose their manes. Alternative contraception is achieved by implanting female African Lions with implants that depress fertility cycles. 

 

The Sanctuary has its own Veterinary Hospital dedicated to caring for its hundreds of residents.  The facility is state-of-the-art and has nearly every type of specialized medical equipment available with the exception of much larger machines like MRI or Cat Scan units.  For serious and rare medical issues requiring these larger diagnostic machines, our animals are able to be transported to Colorado State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

 

TWAS's Veterinary Hospital was built with specialized equipment to comfortably accommodate all of our animals including our biggest resident, a 1,900-pound Kodiak Grizzly Bear.  Our in-house full-time and part-time veterinarians provide medical coverage both day and night, and occasionally utilize visiting specialists to help solve unique or complicated health problems. Our hospital also provides educational opportunities for outside veterinarians and students who want to specialize in large carnivore care.

 

Captive Wildlife Education Program

 

Education about the Captive Wildlife Crisis--its causes and potential solutions--is critically important to the alleviation of suffering endured by millions of animals worldwide.  It may sound idealistic, but The Wild Animal Sanctuary wants to change social consciousness so that people understand that captive large carnivores do not make good pets, and should not be used for entertainment or profit.  We firmly believe that animals are here with us - not for us.

 

The way to achieve this change in social consciousness is through education.  Every visitor to TWAS receives an orientation to help them understand the need for sanctuaries like ours and what they can do to help alleviate the suffering of tens of thousands of captive large carnivores living in substandard conditions across the United States and throughout the world. 

Our Education Center features numerous videos about our rescued animals and the Captive Wildlife Crisis.  Videos depict the life we provide for the animals, what and how we feed them, how we construct their habitats and shelters, and so much more about the work we do.  In addition to welcoming nearly 120,000 visitors each year, we offer group tours to students and scouts, organizations and businesses.  Groups schedule tours in advance by emailing information@wildanimalsanctuary.org  or by calling 303-536-0118.

 

The Sanctuary Speaker's Bureau travels throughout Colorado’s Front Range giving presentations to businesses, service clubs, universities and other agencies, town fairs and other public gatherings.  Government agencies and professional organizations involved with captive wildlife issues frequently seek our advice on the animals’ care, transportation and behaviors.   To schedule a presentation, please contact us or call, 303-536-0118.