How to Know if an Animal Wildlife Facility is Safe

A wildlife sanctuary can be named virtually anything, and when owners call their facility a sanctuary it can seem like an ideal – and safe -- family destination. But tragically, this has proven to be untrue.

In 2005, 17-year old Haley Hilderbrand of Altamont, Kansas was posing for a photo next to a Siberian tiger at a USDA-licensed facility when the tiger attacked and killed her -- despite being on a leash held by a handler.

Serious public safety lapses are common at USDA-licensed facilities – and IFAW observed serious violations at nearly every facility we visited.

Safety Guidelines for Visiting Wildlife Facilities:

While no big cat should be kept in captivity, zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) generally adhere to better public safety and animal welfare standards than unaccredited facilities
Direct contact with a big cat is not safe, so don’t assume that because a facility is accredited that it is okay.
Never pet or feed a big cat through a fence or cage. During our investigation, we saw a big cat bite the finger off a wildlife facility attendant.
Do not go near an uncaged big cat – even if it is on a leash held by a trained handler.
Children should never be allowed anywhere near a captive wild cat – no matter how “cute” it looks. These are dangerous predators.
Make sure there are adequate distances and barriers between you and large carnivores. Stay away from rusty fences and structurally unsound barricades.

Consider This

A captive wild cat is 700 times more likely to fatally wound a person than the domestic dog!

Because they are creatures of prey, big cats bite to kill. Though domestic dogs bite often, comparatively few bites result in serious injury. But even a seemingly “tame” lion or tiger is a lethal weapon in disguise. Instinct can result in instantaneous tragedy.

On August 21st 2003, in Dayton Ohio, animal control officers confiscated an escaped female tiger cub that was roaming the neighborhood. This happened the day after a mountain lion named Thunder also in Ohio slipped his chain and attacked a neighbor’s dog. Most pet owners lack adequate enclosures to contain a 300-500 pound cat.