Special Instructions For Schools That Visit...
We love having school classes, scouts and youth groups visit The Wild Animal Sanctuary! When young people visit and learn about the Captive Wildlife Crisis and the Sanctuary’s work to address it, we are planting seeds that will bear fruit in the consciousness of future generations. Teaching all children that majestic animals are not “pets”… are not products… are not entertainment... and should be helped whenever others mistreat them... is one of the most important things teachers and parents can do.
They are some of the most magnificent creatures on Earth, and for that, they deserve our respect.
School classes of all kinds are welcome to become special supporters through the Sanctuary’s education program. Teachers, aides and parents are responsible for helping their students learn about the Captive Wildlife Crisis prior to visiting the Sanctuary.
Of course, the Sanctuary’s primary mission is to rescue and care for animals found in illegal or abusive situations. Yet, we also understand how important a robust educational program is toward helping solve the Captive Wildlife Crisis. This is why the Sanctuary opened its doors to allow for public visitation starting two decades ago.
If your school, Scout or youth group wishes to learn about and help the captive wild animals, we are happy to discuss with teachers how classes (even in remote locations) can get involved. The internet, PowerPoint presentations and DVD’s about the Sanctuary’s animals have made it possible for students to learn about the Captive Wildlife Crisis, no matter where they live. Students as far as thousands of miles away from the Sanctuary have raised awareness, done fundraisers and adopted animals via our Animal Adoption Program.
If you have questions or would like to discuss ideas about how your class, school, home school, or other education-related group can get involved in learning about and helping the animals at The Wild Animal Sanctuary, please give us a call at 303-536-0118 – or email us at information@wildanimalsanctuary.org - as we’d love to hear from you!
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CLASSES VISITING THE SANCTUARY IN PERSON:
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With our standard entry fee for children and adults being more significant than those usually found at subsidized Zoos and Aquariums, we realize it can be a challenge for some classes to afford to visit. Even more, when you include transportation costs and other miscellaneous field trip expenses, most schools struggle to meet the challenge.
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So what options are there? Some schools have parents send the entry fee with their child... while other schools organize fundraisers or seek common field trip grants.
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In most cases, given our unique subject of learning - as well as being able to visit the world's largest carnivore sanctuary - teachers succeed at finding creative ways to cover the entry fees.
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As important as educating the public is, we also have to be good stewards of the donations we do receive. Therefore, it is not possible for us to offer any discounts or free admission since doing so would take money away from the animal care budget.
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In some cases, In-kind donations can work, as we have seen many classes do a phenomenal job at gathering large amounts of office, animal care, and janitorial supplies... while others have been able to secure specialized items like hay, plantable trees and other useful items.
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