My Nonprofit Reviews

As a supporter and former volunteer of The Wild Animal Sanctuary, I can firmly state that this is the BEST nonprofit I have ever had the fortune to discover.

Volunteer options are realistic and doable and the work is hard - sometimes tedious, boring and straight-up disgusting - but the staff does a great job of making sure volunteers know WHY they are doing what they're doing and how it benefits the organization and the animals. Work is varied enough that in between the manual labor there are opportunities to interact with the animals in a safe and educational manner, whether it is accompanying staff to feed, deliver medication, or work on habitats to improve enrichment and stimulation for the animals.

As a visiting member of the general public, TWAS offers an absolutely one-of-a-kind experience in which guests are able to see rescued animals, learn who the animals are (where they came from and how they wound up at TWAS) and learn about what is referred to as the "captive wildlife crisis." One of TWAS's main goals is to educate the public about the dangers and immorality of owning exotic species as "pets," along with providing information about the plight of captive traveling animals in circuses, side-shows, and photo-with-wildlife scams. While traditional zoos also offer educational opportunities, they tend to focus on the idealized version of a species' life in the wild. At TWAS, however, the educational focus (while providing this same basic biogeographical information) is shifted towards the specific ways in which certain species are exploited and abused for the sake of "entertainment." While you might learn where tigers cubs live in the world at a zoo, at TWAS, you will learn that "selfie-with-tiger-cub" opportunities are a scam to generate profit at the expense of the individual animal and entire species' well-being. Thus education at TWAS goes far beyond the typical zoo placards and provides guests with relevant and crucial information regarding the various ways in which wild animals are exploited and how to prevent complicity in these schemes in addition to ways in which they can take action to save wild species and advocate for their welfare.

The last aspect of TWAS I must mention is the physical structure and pure awesomeness of the facility. Over 720 acres in the eastern plains have been slightly modified (added streams and ponds, some vegetation, underground dens built, etc.) and there is a 40ft elevated walkway that traverses a mile and a half of these habitats. This provides guests an utterly unique experience of walking on a footbridge above the animals in their habitats below. Based on evolutionary biology of carnivores (who are highly territorial on the ground but have never had any airborne/flying predators or prey and thus are oblivious to the sky and space above them) the elevated footbridge is a groundbreaking way to provide guests with an incredible view of the animals in as close a proxy as possible to their natural habitat. Each habitat is large (most are at least twenty acres) providing the animals with ample "territory" to roam and patrol. The elevation of the walkway means that, unlike at a zoo where carnivores are confronted with people invading their territory and staring at them through a glass wall (which results in unnatural pacing along the wall, indicating unease and stress on behalf of the animal) the animal is oblivious to and thus totally unbothered by the human observers above them. The end result is that guests are able to observe the animal acting as close to "natural" as possible and the animals are not stressed by invaders encroaching on their territory.

TWAS is an absolutely amazing place for the reasons above and many more. Words cannot describe the magic and serenity that are palpable as soon as you step foot on the walkway. The peace and gratefulness of the animals can be felt by all who work and visit them. Staff, volunteers, and visitors of all ages will leave feeling more hopeful about the world and the future of its imperiled wild species. And there is no other sight in the world as breathtaking to behold as the sun setting behind the Rocky Mountains in the distance behind the herds of lions roaring to each other across their adoptive Colorado plains homes.

(All photos - TWAS)

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