Sanctuaries for Wild/Exotic
Animals
The few reputable sanctuaries in the United States
which house wild/exotic animals, including monkeys
and apes, are exploding at the seams.
"Reputable" meaning the sanctuaries
which provide a permanent life-time home for the
animals they take in and which do not buy, sell,
trade, barter, loan, breed, nor exploit animals
for commercial gain or what some call "edutainment".
Above-board sanctuaries rely solely on donations
because they are not breeding/selling animals
nor are they making money from commercial exploitation
(e.g., photo ops and traveling exhibits).
There are countless "scamtuaries" --
pseudo-sanctuaries which claim to be sanctuaries
or refuges but which do breed and sell animals
and/or which profit from displaying animals, having
hands-on photo shoots, etc. These activities are
disguised as "conservation" or "conservation
education". [Click here
to read 'The Captive Breeding Myth'].
These facilities are especially problematic because
they suffice to take funding away from legitimate
sanctuaries [typically, Jane and Joe Q. Donor
do not know how to differentiate between “scamtuaries”
and sanctuaries] and in the meantime, the problems
are compounded because of the breeding and selling.
Another scenario is sanctuaries which meet all
the basic criteria for being reputable but which
have 'we never say "No"' philosophies.
Though the proprietors may be well-intended, this
is detrimental as the practice of never refusing
any animals most often results in over-saturation,
housing the animals in sub-standard enclosures
and financial insolvability. Many of these sanctuaries
collapse and despite the best intentions, ultimately,
more harm has been done than good.
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