Rescue Rebuild Constructs 50-Acre Habitat For Tigers Rescued From Joe Exotic

Tigers rescued from Joe Exotic’s infamous zoo are soon going to roam free in a 50-acre habitat at The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Springfield, Colorado. But none of this would have been possible without your support.

Back in 2017, the sanctuary rescued 39 malnourished tigers and 3 bear cubs from Joe Exotic, many featured in Netflix’s popular Tiger King docuseries.

“The Wild Animal Sanctuary provides large-scale habitats where the animals can be relaxed, roam freely with others of their kind and enjoy a new phase of life that is stress-free!”

Photos: Wild Animal Sanctuary

Taylor Logan, one of the animal caretakers at the sanctuary, said, “Our animals are not here for people, especially down here at the refuge, we aren’t open to the public so these animals are fully free to just be themselves without kind of constantly having that vigilance.”

The sanctuary nursed the tigers back to health but needed help constructing another habitat for them to roam. That’s where the Rescue Rebuild team stepped in to help.

Photos: GreaterGood

The team returned to Colorado in June to help build a 50-acre habitat for 5 to 7 tigers, including King Mosiah and King Edwards. “It’s not every day that Rescue Rebuild gets to do a project that is truly different from our norm! While the world has changed a lot, the animals still need our help. We followed all CDC COVID-19 safety guidelines and protocols to keep the sanctuary staff and our team safe,” said the heroes.

Photos: GreaterGood

As you can imagine, building a tiger-proof fence around 50 acres takes a lot of hard work and supplies.

“Our first week consisted of setting telephone poles, tamping the dirt to secure them, installing insulators on every pole and prewiring the ground wires. Week two was wire week! The team stretched 8′ fencing around the habitat and installed eight hot wires around the habitat’s perimeter. In total, we installed over 13,200 ft of fencing. Before we left, we even got to build the tiger dens! Our time at The Wild Animal Sanctuary consisted of lots of sunscreen, staples and time behind the skid steers,” said Zach Baker, project director.

Thanks to your generous donations and the hard work of the Rescue Rebuild team, the project was completed. “It felt great knowing that we created a new space that would provide relaxation for the neglected tigers that will call this land home in the coming months.”

However, the tigers still need our help.

Due to COVID-19, donations that cover the cost of food and care for the large animals have drastically declined. “The cost of food for all of the animals can average around eight and a half million dollars a year,” said Kent Drotar, public relations director for the sanctuary. “We’re asking our supporters to help us if they can and to not forget about the animals. Because they depend totally on us as human beings when living in sanctuaries.”

Celebrate International Tiger Day by donating to help care and feed a rescue tiger.

Together we change the world.