My Nonprofit Reviews
cagecleaner
Review for Animal Park at the Conservators Center, Burlington, NC, USA
I have volunteered with Conservators' Center for several years providing help with animal care, construction, fundraising, and communications. Therefore, I interact with virtually every staff member (including volunteer staff, which is what I am considered). A small group of wonderful, dedicated people can accomplish amazing things! Every animal has a story (which you can learn on one of the excellent tours), and every one of them is cared for with love and respect. The founders, Mindy Stinner and Doug Evans, have a special talent for rehabilitating exotic animals with a history of abuse, neglect, and/or medical issues. I periodically join tours and enjoy watching visitors who are amazed at how lions, tigers, and wolves come trotting over to greet them. When they see how healthy and happy our animals are, they're even more amazed by the abuse some suffered before arriving at the Center. We all take pride in providing a forever home for our very special residents. In addition to volunteering, I am a Lifetime Adopter of Arthur White Tiger - which means I help support the Center in another meaningful way: by donating funds.
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What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
Getting to know the individual animals. It's quite an honor spending time in the presence of the big, flashy ones (lions, tigers, and wolves), but I am also hooked on the smaller species (lemurs, binturongs, servals, caracals, and others).
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
Highly dedicated and hard working. The staff is small and has learned how to utilize volunteer labor to eke the most out of every project. When you volunteer regularly, you can have amazing experiences. My most recent: holding wolf cubs.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
Expand cages to provide more room to roam, and expand the facility to offer more homes to exotic animals that need placement. We have many more acres we could utilize to accomplish these goals - just not the money to do it right now.
How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every week
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2009
Review for , , ,
A common comment from visitors to this sanctuary is "The animals look so healthy and happy." Many did not arrive that way. The founders have a knack for rehabilitating lions, tigers, and other exotics, large and small, that have been abused and neglected in their previous homes. With a very small staff, Conservators' Center depends on dedicated volunteers to help with animal care, fundraising, and other key roles that ensure a forever home for the four-legged residents. Only open to the public since 2007, Conservators' Center offers visitors a rare, up-close view of magnificent species. Many of the residents rush to the fence that separates them from visitors, offering an exciting face-to-face experience. The tour guide teaches you to talk to a tiger (most talk back) and howl with the wolves. This is a must-do experience for animal lovers.
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I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
working with the animals.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
keep the dedicated staff currently on board. They are amazing.
What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
developing relationships with the animals - and with the people. Those of us who are very involved are like a family.
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
largely a very caring, giving group of people. The staff works very hard for little pay. The "hardcore" volunteers pitch in and work with staff to ensure excellent care for the animals, and to help run the organization.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
Expand its educational mission with more staff and a building that could house a larger variety of on-site programming. More fully develop the available land with larger enclosures for current residents and additional enclosures for future rescues.
Ways to make it better...
I had more time to give!
In my opinion, the biggest challenges facing this organization are...
location and lack of funding. Because it is located in a rural county, a lot of people still don't know this gem exists. Fundraising is a chicken and egg proposition: hard to do with a small staff; hard to increase staff with limited funds.
One thing I'd also say is that...
if you have never seen such a facility, you should come visit.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2009
