Photo: Melanie Stetson Freeman | Christian Science Monitor
At a distance, the snowy Rocky Mountains line the horizon like lace. Otherwise, it’s hard to tell this is Colorado, given the tigers, lions, leopards, and other foreign carnivores. This isn’t a zoo; this is The Wild Animal Sanctuary, where more than 450 animals brought to Colorado’s eastern plains get a second chance to roam. The sanctuary spans over 1,200 acres and rehabilitates captive exotic and endangered animals. For some, this might be the first time their paws have touched grass. Rehabilitation takes time. And progress, when it comes, appears in behavior. For the big cats, for example, roaming is a welcome sign. Roaring is also good. So is falling asleep on one’s back, with legs limp and stomach exposed. The cats would do that only, the humans here assume, if they felt safe. The mission of the sanctuary is to prevent and alleviate cruelty to animals and to rescue and provide life-long homes for large, exotic, and endangered captive animals. They also educate the public about the causes of and solutions to the world’s captive wildlife crisis. The goal is to give the animals a life of dignity and to make their lives as they would be if the animals themselves could choose their circumstances.
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