Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m very late in posting these pictures (a little over a month
) but I wanted to be able to post these properly & not just do it in passing.
I was finally able to visit The Wild Animal Sanctuary. What makes this place so much better than a zoo or wherever you can see these animals outside of the wild is that every one of them are rescues. Their stories are on the website (get the tissues ready before reading!). I've read them all a few times and every time I shudder just thinking about what these magnificent animals went through before coming to TWAS where they are treated with dignity and respect.
They explained that they sterilize all of the males upon arrival to the Sanctuary, except for the lions. If they neutered the lions they would lose their manes. They keep the lions in groups of 2 males:1 female which keeps the females from going into estrus. Must work – there havenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t been any baby lions conceived there.
It was amazing being able to see lions and tigers and bears (Oh my!) and a black leopard (Eddy - the star of Animal Planet's special "Growing Up Leopard") and one wolf (who I swear came out of the den just so I could see at least one!) and 3 African Servals and an emu (who lives with the bears) and one camel (who lives with 2 horses, right next to the lions). It was hot so most of the wolves were in their huge den and Eddy was the only leopard out and about. The only thing I was disappointed about there was that you can't see all of the animals, like the coti mundi, bobcats, lynx, and mountain lions. My head understands it - they are more shy than the lions and tigers and bears (Oh my!), but my heart really wanted to see them too.
So, as the sign says, Welcome to The Wild Animal Sanctuary!
Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll start with the bears since they arenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t cats.
There are 5 (I think) bears in this picture but it really gives a good perspective of where in Colorado TWAS is located. It is on the plains and surrounded by farm acreage, but still in the shadow of the Rockies.
Look right in front of the water tank, in between the brown bears & black bears. Yeah, thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s an emu. No idea how they figured out that bears and emus get along, but they obviously do.
Thereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s the only grizzly they have. They have 4 separate areas/acreages for the bears. Thereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s a lot of bears.
I just loved how this guy was sitting in the grass. Happy bear.
Hereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s the only semi-decent picture I got of the wolf that came out. S/he was heading back into the den they had built for them.
I was finally able to visit The Wild Animal Sanctuary. What makes this place so much better than a zoo or wherever you can see these animals outside of the wild is that every one of them are rescues. Their stories are on the website (get the tissues ready before reading!). I've read them all a few times and every time I shudder just thinking about what these magnificent animals went through before coming to TWAS where they are treated with dignity and respect.
They explained that they sterilize all of the males upon arrival to the Sanctuary, except for the lions. If they neutered the lions they would lose their manes. They keep the lions in groups of 2 males:1 female which keeps the females from going into estrus. Must work – there havenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t been any baby lions conceived there.
It was amazing being able to see lions and tigers and bears (Oh my!) and a black leopard (Eddy - the star of Animal Planet's special "Growing Up Leopard") and one wolf (who I swear came out of the den just so I could see at least one!) and 3 African Servals and an emu (who lives with the bears) and one camel (who lives with 2 horses, right next to the lions). It was hot so most of the wolves were in their huge den and Eddy was the only leopard out and about. The only thing I was disappointed about there was that you can't see all of the animals, like the coti mundi, bobcats, lynx, and mountain lions. My head understands it - they are more shy than the lions and tigers and bears (Oh my!), but my heart really wanted to see them too.
So, as the sign says, Welcome to The Wild Animal Sanctuary!
Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll start with the bears since they arenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t cats.
Look right in front of the water tank, in between the brown bears & black bears. Yeah, thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s an emu. No idea how they figured out that bears and emus get along, but they obviously do.
Thereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s the only grizzly they have. They have 4 separate areas/acreages for the bears. Thereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s a lot of bears.
I just loved how this guy was sitting in the grass. Happy bear.
Hereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s the only semi-decent picture I got of the wolf that came out. S/he was heading back into the den they had built for them.