When people hear the phrase “wildlife sanctuary” or “wildlife refuge”, they typically think of larger wildlife refuges such as the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary. However, there are many wildlife sanctuaries throughout the world. Some only have a few animals while others have thousands.

Wildlife sanctuaries are spaces set aside for the use of wild animals species. These refuges can be either privately owned or government owned. Contrary to popular belief, some sanctuaries are created naturally. Different wildlife sanctuaries are focused on different things. However, most of them focus on rehabilitation, wild release, education, emergency care, public education, shelter, and partnership.

Wildlife refuges were not invented yesterday. The first one came around in approximately 300 BCE when King Devanampiya Tissa of Sri Lanka created a wildlife sanctuary near Mihintale. The king banned hunting, and other chopping trees in that area. Wildlife refuges came later to the United States. In the early 20th century, President Theodore Roosevelt started the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge just off the western coast of Orchid Island in the Indian River Lagoon east of Sebastian, Florida. The primary purpose of that sanctuary was to protect egrots which were threatened by plume hunters. Today, the sanctuary holds hundreds of different animals.

Since 1903, numerous non-profit wildlife refuges were created in the United States and other countries in the world. Most of the ones in the United States are regulated by the American Sanctuary Association.

For example, the Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jacksonville, Florida, helps rescue and provide a safe habitat to cat species that are threatened or endangered due to a loss of natural habitat. Catty Shack currently has Siberian tigers, lions, cougars, spotted and black leopards, a serval, a coatimundi, a European wild cat, and an arctic fox.

Catty Shack and other wildlife refuges sometimes operate similar to a zoological park. They often allow visitors to come view and even feed the animals.

While many wildlife refuges allow animals to roam freely, some have to cage them due to safety issues and space constraints. Some sanctuaries often allow people to adopt animals. Due to financial constraints and lack of government funding, wildlife refuges often rely on volunteer labor.

Although researchers often visit sanctuaries to study the animals, they are forbidden from significantly interfering with the animals’ lives.

Many wildlife sanctuaries also provide after-school and weekend educational programs for elementary school, middle school, and high students. Some of them provide programs to adults.