Maynard the Gibbon

An animal “Sanctuary”, is a no-kill, “Lifetime Haven”, where animals are not bred, sold, traded or adopted out. We should not be forced to break this commitment to any animal we give refuge to.

Sara’s Sanctuary’s policy & pledge to any animal in our care is that we will give them the best life possible.  If there is a situation where an animal needs to be relocated, we will only relocate them if we can find a home that will give them as good, or better quality of life than we can give them here.

Our neighbors, literally threatened Maynard’s safety and all the other animals living here at our Redmond location. Because of one man and his legal postures against us, we are no longer operating out of our Novelty Hill location. Prior to this neighbors threats against us, we had been aggressively looking for a new home for Maynard. Ultimately, we were looking to find a female Gibbon who could be his life long partner. Placing a Gibbon in a primate sanctuary is an extremely difficult task. We have had a skilled team of primate specialists searching for a new home for Maynard.  

We give every animal that comes to us a safe, peaceful and happy life. We always done everything in our power to ensure this happens. Although this is not the freedom that they ultimately deserve, we believe that if they must be kept captivity, these wonderful creatures should have the best that we can possibly provide. Unlike many zoos and shelters, we do not sell, breed or trade these animals. We rarely relocate animals to other sanctuaries and we do not believe in uprooting established animals from the happy home they have found here.

We  have made it through many hurdles over the years, and we will never stop fighting for the highest quality of life for animals. We will continue our love and dedicated care of these incredible creatures. no matter what challenges are presented to us!

 Terri considers meeting Lesley to be one of the most fortunate things that happened to her and the sanctuary’s animals. Not only is Lesley a highly skilled vet, she is an extremely compassionate and empathetic human being. Lesley handles the animals with all the sensitivity and kindness that these traumatized creatures deserve. 

 The amazing recovery of many sanctuary animals it attributed to the hours of research, consultation, veterinary care and devotion provided by Terri and Lesley. The results have been the amazing recovery of animals.  

Although not all of the animals that come to the sanctuary live long lives, they are all given the best care possible for the length of time they have left. Those who meet and care for them, even if only for a short time, are touched.
The Sanctuary was founded on the belief that the animals in our community are in our care. That care means a responsibility for the safety, well-being, and quality of life for all animals.  

This is the Beginning a Better Life for This Wonderful Serval. 

We were called to help with a Serval that the owners could no longer care for. This little girl,  was being kept in a back yard in a busy crowded neighborhood.  Her enclosure was a very unsecured small pen, put together with small zip ties and wild bird netting. The owner told us that this cat probably had an abscess and that they had done nothing to treat it. When we first set eyes on her, she was huddled in a corner gnawing on a growth on her leg. It was obvious that it was not an abscess, but a very large tumor. 

Prepping for surgery

She had not received any medical care for this very painful,  long-time growth.  This owner knew it was illegal to own this type of exotic cat in the State of Washington without a USDA license.  Probably one of the reasons that he did  not seek medical help for her. 

When we picked this serval up, we immediately took her to our vet and had her health issues assessed. The tumor was removed the next day and the pathology report came back. This is a very aggressive form of cancer.  Although she is in no pain now, we will have to wait to see if she will be able to keep the leg, or even survive this cancer. Because this tumor was left for such a long time, it might have already metastasized to her lungs. 

The tumor is finally out!

She is a very happy kitty now! She is experiencing things everyday that are new and exciting – especially with the other animals around her.  Only a few days after surgery, she is climbing on platforms, to levels of 15′.  She want’s to pounce on her prey and she is getting the diet that she  has needed all these years.  Jess is already a different serval compared to when we first met her. These cats so deserve to live in the wild, not  be somone’s pet in their powder room or garage.