‘No Mating, Only Dating’ is the Motto at This Colorado Animal Sanctuary

Some sanctuaries offer shelter; The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado, offers rescued animals a place to reclaim their wild spirit. With more than 1,200 acres of land, it’s a refuge for some of the world’s most majestic yet mistreated creatures — carnivores like big cats and bears who’ve been bred, sold, and confined under circumstances that defy the natural order. Above all, The Wild Animal Sanctuary is a place for second chances.

You might be surprised to hear where the majority of its residents are rescued from — the unlikeliest (and sometimes most absurd) of places. Pet stores? Check. Backyard breeders? Yep. Roadside zoos? You bet. If there’s one thing Austin Hill, the sanctuary’s director of public relations, makes clear, it’s that there’s no shortage of bizarre rescue stories. “We specialize in rescuing captive-bred large carnivores,” he says. “These are animals coming from pet stores, roadside zoos, apartments, garages, backyards, basements, horse trailers, gas stations, shopping malls, the ‘Tiger King,’ and so on.”

Where the Wild Things Are … NOT Supposed to Be

The Wild Animal Sanctuary started back in 1980, when its founder, Pat Craig, rescued his first animal — a young jaguar. As Austin puts it, “There wasn’t much in the system about what to do with carnivores in those situations where it was either that or be euthanized.” 

Since then, the carnivore sanctuary has grown into the largest and oldest of its kind in the world, now expanding its efforts to wild horses and mustangs rescued from roundups.

But why do these animals need rescuing in the first place? A large part of the problem, Austin explains, is a long-standing lack of laws regulating exotic animal ownership. “It was basically state by state,” he says. “There wasn’t a whole lot that was federal, until recently. So, there was more backyard breeding, roadside zoos, and tourist attractions.” The result? Big cats and bears have ended up in places they never should have been — like an Iowa shopping mall that entertained bored shoppers with a live display. “That was a rescue we did 10 years ago,” says Austin, “and that was allowed. That was legal. But people protested and got petitions, and eventually, the mall felt the pressure and didn’t want to renew their license.”

Of course, the infamous “Tiger King” saga played a major role in exposing this crisis to the public. “We rescued almost 148 different animals from players in that show,” Austin says, “including 39 animals three years before the show even started.” The sanctuary has become the go-to place for these animals, stepping in once authorities shut down abusive operations.

From the Concrete Jungle to Claws in the Grass

Rescuing an animal is one thing — helping them rediscover their natural instincts is another. Many of these big cats and bears have never even touched grass before arriving at the sanctuary. “Some never saw their own species until they came to our care,” Austin shares. “So, they’re middle-aged tigers being a tiger for the first time, which is pretty inconceivable to humans. Imagine what that looks like — to not meet a human until you’re 30 or 40!”

As you might imagine, the rehabilitation process is gradual. Throwing a tiger straight from captivity into a 20-acre habitat would be like handing the keys to a Ferrari to someone who’s never driven a car. 

Instead, animals start in what Austin calls an “apartment,” a controlled space that allows them to slowly adjust to their new surroundings. Over time, they’re introduced to larger habitats, other animals, and a feeding schedule designed to mimic the wild. “We feed at a random time and place; we’re trying to replicate a wild diet for them,” he explains. “So, we’re not doing 5 o’clock in the corner every day.”

And for the bears? Well, they have to figure out hibernation. “How do you train a bear to hibernate? That’s a biological thing,” Austin says. “Luckily, their bodies tell them what to do with the right food. As the season approaches, we give them hay. They take the hay back into their underground dens, and by that second season, usually, they’ve got hibernating down.”

No Mating, Only Dating

While the sanctuary offers a fresh start for these animals, one thing it does not do is breed them. “We have no breeding here. We don’t want to add to the number of animals that cannot go back into the wild,” Austin explains. “So, all males are neutered on arrival, with the exception of African male lions. Their manes are testosterone-driven, so female lions get a contraceptive implant in place of that.” The sanctuary’s unofficial motto? “No mating, only dating.”

Education: The Key to Ending the Captive Wildlife Crisis?

Rescuing animals is only half the battle; the other half is educating people so that the cycle doesn’t continue. “Education is gigantic for us,” Austin emphasizes. “People need to understand there are a lot of animals out there in less-than-ideal places, and it takes collective good decisions to right the bad decisions.”

To that end, the sanctuary doesn’t just rely on its in-person visitors—it reaches people worldwide through social media, newsletters, and community events. Visitors to the sanctuary also get an educational experience from the get-go. “Every visit starts with our 15-minute orientation video. It’s very comprehensive,” Austin says. Guests then explore the facility via an elevated walkway, a design choice made specifically for the animals’ comfort. “You’re on an elevated walkway 30 feet above the animal, and it’s a mile and a half to the end and back, three miles round trip. It’s always about not encroaching on their territory.”

The Rescues That Stick With You

For Austin, every rescue is meaningful, but some stand out more than others. He recalls the heartbreaking rescue of 22 Asiatic black bears from a bear bio-harvesting facility in South Korea. “It was about as bad as it gets,” he shares. 

The bears had spent their entire lives in small cages with rebar flooring, never knowing a soft surface. When they were finally released into the sanctuary, one bear made an indelible imprint. “She walked out a little ways, and then spun 360 and kept walking,” he recalls. “She’d go a few feet, walk, then spin. And Pat [the sanctuary’s founder] said, ‘She’s walking what she had in South Korea. She’s spinning because, in her mind, she’s at the edge.’ That’s how mind-numbing it is when we put an animal inside a box.” Slowly, the bear realized she was free. “Of course, she flourished. But that was the first step after the acclimation period — spinning.”

Then there was the bear that, after a lifetime of eating nothing but junk, was finally given a feast fit for a queen. “There was this bear that got to the trough of every delicious thing ever. And instead of chowing down on it, she rubbed her face left and right across it,” Austin says. “Just dragged her face across it, soaking it into every pore. That killed me. If you ate dog food your whole life, and then someone handed you a marshmallow? To finally be given what you should have been given your entire life … What does that look like?”

Supporting the Mission

Running a sanctuary of this scale takes an enormous amount of resources. “We go through over 100,000 pounds of food a week when the bears are out of hibernation,” Austin notes. On top of that, medical care is a significant cost, as many rescued animals suffer from long-term health issues due to their previous environments, and much oof the sanctuary population is geriatric. The residents are there for life.

So, how can people help? Donations are the lifeblood of the sanctuary. “We are 100% a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so every single miracle that’s happening out here on a daily basis is all donation-based,” Austin says. The sanctuary also hosts fundraisers, welcomes even sponsors, and features an adoption program, where people can sponsor an animal and receive a photo, an adoption package, and updates about their well-being. Learn more about ways in which you can support the mission of this amazing sanctuary at their website.

At the end of the day, The Wild Animal Sanctuary is a promise that these animals, after years of neglect and mistreatment, will finally get to live as they were meant to: free, safe, and simply being themselves.