Colorado’s Wild Animal Sanctuary: See Lions, Tigers, and Bears Oh My!

The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado has been rescuing animals for years and allows guests the opportunity to witness them in natural habitats.

Located an hour outside of Denver in Keenesburg, Colorado is the Wild Animal Sanctuary, a place where rescued animals can roam freely and enjoy nature.

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Room to Roam at Colorado's Wild Animal Sanctuary

The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado has been in operation since 1980 and boasts over 10,500 acres, giving rescued animals real room to roam. Currently, The Wild Animal Sanctuary is home to more than 600 rehabilitated animals.

The Wild Animal Sanctuary is the oldest and largest nonprofit Sanctuary in the world dedicated exclusively to rescuing captive exotic and endangered large carnivores, providing them with a wonderful life for as long as they live, and educating about the tragic plight faced by an estimated 30,000 such animals in America today.

-The Wild Animal Sanctuary

Visiting a zoo is fun, but it can be extremely disheartening to see the small spaces that the wildlife is often enclosed in. At the Wild Animal Sanctuary, more acreage means more freedom and a better quality of life for the animals.

Mile into the Wild at Colorado's Wild Animal Sanctuary

The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado offers a completely different experience for guests than what your typical zoo does.

When the Wild Animal Sanctuary was initially opened it was completely closed to the public in order to protect the animals. However, in 2002, that changed with the Mile into the Wild Walkway, which is an elevated walkway platform that allows guests to view the animals from a safe distance.

The animals do not feel threatened and visitors frequently remark to Wild Animal Sanctuary personnel how they could never visit a zoo again after experiencing the difference.

I believe the concept of elevated walkways and observation platforms is the future of human/animal observation, and that every person who cares about the well-being of any animal viewed by the public (both in captivity and in the wild) should petition every institution or wildlife adventure operator to utilize elevated platform--or discontinue allowing their animals’ territorial instincts to be violated.

-Executive Director Pat Craig

Tiger King Animals Find Refuge at Colorado's Wild Animal Sanctuary

In 2020 a large number of people watched Netflix's Tiger King documentary following Joseph "Joe Exotic" Maldonado-Passage at the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma.

Joe Exotic is currently serving a 22-year sentence in federal prison on animal abuse and murder-for-hire charges and his business landed in the hands of Exotic's former business partner, Jeff Lowe.

Lowe was ordered to vacate the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park and relocate all of his animals to the Thackerville facility. Lowe failed to relocate all of the animals and left behind 11 wolves, three tigers, and two bears.

Fortunately, Colorado's Wild Animal Sanctuary stepped in to rescue the animals, who are now leading much healthier and happier lives.