2023 has so far been a historic year for Animal Rescue at The Wild Animal Sanctuary. We completed the largest rescue operation in our 40+ years. Over 700 animals were flown from a zoo in Puerto Rico to sanctuaries across the country, with 7 lions and 2 bears coming to the Sanctuary, along with a gerbil and goldfish. Over 4 months our team rotated shifts for 12+ hours, 7 days a week to get the animals ready for transport. Even as this project consumed valuable time and resources, the staff put in tremendous effort to continue rescuing animals in need elsewhere, too.
We'd like to introduce Hank, or as we've properly renamed her, Henrietta. She was identified as a suspected 'nuisance bear' who became too comfortable around humans. In most cases, these animals are euthanized to try to prevent more damage to property and potentially humans. Henrietta is a rare case of exception. This case highlights an often-overlooked challenge when it comes to rescuing animals. With other bears like Henrietta, our hands are unfortunately tied by bureaucratic red tape. See, nuisance bears are defined as "wild" according to current policy. As a licensed Sanctuary we’re strictly limited in the number of “wild” animals that we can rescue per year. While this rule was clearly intended to prevent individuals from hoarding large numbers of wild animals, it means we’re unable to offer our potential help even if we have the space and resources to care for an additional bear. In these cases, it’s humans who have encroached on the bears’ natural habitat, making it more likely any bear could become a nuisance bear. At the Sanctuary we strive to be part of the solution, not add to the problem. At the very least, we encourage individuals to ask local agencies to find ways to consider bears like Henrietta for rescue instead of euthanasia.
To support future rescue efforts, please visit wildanimalsanctuary.org
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Animal rescue missions are never easy or convenient - as saving the lives of animals in jeopardy almost always requires very quick and decisive action. Such is the case of the rescue mission we are undertaking right now.
We have been called upon by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) to help rescue more than 600 animals whose lives currently hang in the balance on the island of Puerto Rico.
Sadly, there is a lone zoo on the island that began experiencing financial difficulties as far back as 2012 and the situation has continued to decline year after year. As a result, animals have suffered and perished on a continuous basis.
With USDA violations piling up, the zoo finally closed to the public in 2017. Yet, even though the zoo was no longer open for visitors, the Puerto Rican government chose to keep the animals locked within their cages.
Then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, the unthinkable happened! Later that year the island was hit by hurricane Irma – one of the worst hurricanes on record! There was no power for more than 4 months and every living being on the island suffered greatly.
As expected, the zoo had extensive damages. Although some animals escaped, and others perished… a significant number of the animals were able to survive. However, since very little was done to repair the zoo, it wasn’t long before the death toll began to rise again. Year after year nothing was done to address the overall problem of inadequate funding, which in-turn greatly impacted the overall care that could be provided to the animals.
Fast forward to today and more than half of the animals have either died or disappeared – which is why the US Department of Justice has had to step in! The goal is to remove all of the remaining animals before any more suffer the same fate.
This is why we, The Wild Animal Sanctuary, were called in by the DOJ, as they knew we are one of the very few organizations that can successfully remove every animal there and get them to a good home. Some, like the African Lions and Black Bears will be coming to our Sanctuary next week… while others like “Mundi” the African Elephant will be flown to an Elephant Sanctuary in Georgia in the coming weeks.
We have already sent numerous teams to Puerto Rico to undertake the evacuation process and so far we have succeeded in bringing a happy ending to a number of incredibly sad cases. One such case involved “Mara” the female Chimpanzee who had lived alone while being locked indoors for many years.
Thankfully, Mara has now been rescued and taken to a wonderful new home in Indiana where she can now live with other chimpanzees!
Others, such as the lone Sloth and two Andean Condors have also been airlifted to safety and will now live out their lives in safe and nurturing facilities that specialize in caring for their unique species. However, “Felipe” the African White Rhino, as well as two elderly Hippopotamuses are waiting for the day when we can fly them to their new home in Texas.
Dozens and dozens of other animals are ready to go and are waiting for their chance to fly to a new home as well. Yet, we need your help to continue funding these amazing flights to freedom - so please consider helping us with your generous gift today!
War, what is good for? The displacement of people and animals from their homes for sure. I’m betting you’ve heard by now of the more than 1 million civilians driven from their homes due to the fighting between Russia and Ukraine. But did you hear about the 9 African Lions from the Bio Park Zoo in Odessa? By March of 2022, they found themselves in danger and needed help as their city was starting to take air strikes.
But how do you get Lions out of a war zone!? It’s not easy. We had to first get them transported to a safer area for temporary residence because as you can imagine, the red tape involved with getting them out of the country, let alone one at war, was extensive. Every place that was contacted wanted to help but didn’t have the space to accept them. Finally, the Targu Mures Zoo in Romania stepped up to the plate but could only hold the Lions for a short time. That’s all we needed.
A group called Warriors of Wildlife (WOW) took on the mission of getting the Lions out of the active war zone and safely to Romania. During transport, a primary bridge was bombed by Russia causing the mission to have to detour to a route that took 3 times as long. Thankfully they were nowhere near the bridge when it was bombed and had the alternate route ready. With a little luck and a whole lot of skill, they made it!
Safe in their temporary residence, the clock was ticking, and TWAS worked tirelessly to get everything from paperwork to transportation crates ready for international travel. There were many snags and hiccups, but in September of 2022 we were finally able to bring them to their new home in Colorado.
Now these magnificent creatures are living in a war free, 80-acre habitat with natural grass beneath their paws, open sky above and rolling hills! They are forming prides and bonds and most importantly, at long last they have finally found peace.
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Budahshay’s story starts like too many others - at an illegal Tiger breeding facility. This particular facility is called Bearcat Hollow and it’s a run-down farm in Missouri. It boasted itself as a sanctuary but that was a lie. They bred Tiger cubs and charged for play then sold them as pets or to roadside zoos when they got older. Others were shot in a shed when they got too old, and their skins and teeth were sold on the black market.
Budahshay and another Tiger named Bailey are probably only alive because they were raised/caged with and friends with a Lion named Leo. Leo was castrated and because of that he didn’t grow a mane. He was also a little goofy, so he made a lot of money. This made the trio some of the few who survived becoming adults.
Feds finally took notice of Bearcat Hollow and jailed the owners. Over 75 animals were rehomed to Spirit of the Hills in South Dakota, though many died on the trip there from having been overbred. They never housed that many animals before and they all ended up crammed in tiny cages again.
The owner of Spirit of the Hills used to love all the animals he homed. But he was a hoarder and kept on taking animals even when he could no longer afford to feed all of them. He would favor the newer animals and give them most of the food. After a while the frustration and inability to afford to take care of the animals made him depressed, violent and reclusive. He locked out most of the volunteers all of the sudden and let his chickens all starve to death. And still he kept collecting.
One day when the owner of Spirit of the Hills went out of town, the volunteers snuck onto the property to check on the animals. They were mortified to find that new animals would be fat and overfed while the dozens of other animals were weak and starving - some couldn’t even stand. The volunteers called the authorities who got word out to veterinarians and inspectors. Several Tigers were suffering so much that they were immediately euthanized.
Finally, The Wild Animal Sanctuary was called to help! Budahshay and her friends would be going once again to a new home. But they could never have imagined the expansive freedom and surmounting love that they would soon get to have for the rest of their lives. And to make it even better, they got to be among the first out at our massive 9,752-acre Wild Animal Refuge!
It’s because of the love and support of wonderful people like you who believe in our mission that we can help these magnificent creatures. Giving them lives as peaceful and close to the wild as possible is our honor. If you aren’t yet part of our cause please, take some time to find a way to help. There are many, many ways to be a part of our historic efforts to end the Captive Wildlife Crisis.
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Have you ever heard of “Bile Bears”? Most people haven’t. And I can tell you it’s one of the most horrific and archaic acts still happening to these poor animals. Thanks to our relationship with KAWA (Korean Animal Welfare Association) from a previous rescue, we were able to assist in rescuing 22 such bears from South Korea that were subject to this terrible abuse.
Bear Bile Farming involves confining Bears into small rebar cages that are reminiscent of coffins. A tube is then surgically placed (not by professional surgeons) into the bears gallbladder to allow bile to drain into a bucket positioned below the cage. A metal belt is placed around the midsection of the Bears body in order to keep them from moving in any way that will cause the tube to fall out. The cage is then closed to make repositioning, rolling or even neck bending impossible. Many Bears live like this for years. The ones who die are actually considered the lucky ones.
Many people have stood up to fight this appalling industry that primarily takes place in Asian countries. Bile Farming is now illegal in South Korea and Vietnam, though it remains legal in China. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent bringing these 22 Bears to the USA and we couldn’t be more grateful that we were able to help them. But so many more Bears still need our help.
Your donations help change the lives of Bears like these, as well as so many other animals that are being abused and exploited. The Captive Wildlife battle rages on and with support from people who believe in our mission, TWAS will always be there to answer the call. Please donate and be a part of changing the lives of these and many other animals in need.
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