Sara’s Sanctuary is a Federally Licensed 501 (c) 3 non profit Animal Rescue Facility & USDA licensed.
Fed. ID# 91-2047487 and USDA # 91-C-0094

This should not be someone’s PET!

Sara’s Sanctuary is not open to the public. We are often asked, “Why Not?”

The answer is: Sara’s Sanctuary is not a zoo. We are a rescue facility that was created to provide animals in need a quiet, predictable, safe and loving home, something many of them have never known before.

Because of their backgrounds, many of the animals that are here, can be unpredictable and react negatively around humans they don’t know. Many of animals were illegally purchased, according to Washingston State laws, so subsequently confiscated by city or county agencies before they were brought to us. These animals, are innately wild animals and many need to be protected from the stress of further human exposure and interaction.

The animal’s daily care and well-being is our number one priority. We hope that reading their stories and viewing their pictures, you will learn  what we are all about.  You can take a peek at many of our wonderful babies, and hope you will better understand our mission for the animals that come to us.

Have you found an orphaned baby?  It is baby season… there will be many baby critters out there, trying very hard to survive with nature and us HUMANS. There are many baby squirrels, baby cottontails (wild baby rabbits), raccoons, and fawns (baby deer), which might seem like they have been abandoned.  Please stop – before you make that decesion to pick them up! Usually, the situation is OK, and the mother has just been scared off by humans or other animals, or typically they are off feeding themselves. They are probably waiting nearby to continue to care for their babies until you go away! Please resist picking them up!  If you truly think they are injured or orphaned, only then – pick them up and intervine, and then you MUST take them to a licensed rehabilitation facility.  Baby bunnies are the first that people seem to pick up when they don’t need your help – Please read the Baby Cottontail Information located on our “Contact” page before you try to make that determination.

If you feel any that there are any wildlife in danger, please call a wild life rehab  center – just click on the links for WA. state (wild life)

Charlie

Charlie is the perfect example of why Sara’s Sanctuary was created and what we strive to achieve with all the animals that find their way to our door.  With patience, persistence and a lot of love, almost every one of them can have a very happy story, too!

Charlie came to us from a wonderful, caring rescuer in California who had been trying to raise him in his kitchen for over a year. Although, he obviously loved this crow, he knew Charlie needed more specialized care than he would be able to provide. So, he brought him to here to our Sanctuary.  Charlie had no tail or wing feathers. We called him “Bumble Bee” because he and would fly straight up and drop back down, he couldn’t balance himself upright on a perch.  We needed to build a cage that would help to keep him from continually falling on his back. We added different sized ladders for him to learn to balance himself and to eventually be able to walk down onto the grass when he was strong enough and finally conquered his fear of open spaces. 

Charlie also had developed what’s known as “scissor beak”. This required his food to be cut into very small pieces and hand fed to him three times a day. He also needed supplements to help his feathers grow back without breaking off. We massaged his beak twice a day to train his beak to move back into a normal position. We were sure that Charlie would remain in captivity for the rest of his life, but after two years, all of his feathers were fully restored and he was able to eat completely by himself.  He was moved to a flight pen to  allow him to gain enough wing strength to learn to fly again.  Another crow that had been  rescued and released on our property began coming Charlie’s enclosure and eventually befriend Charlie through the enclosure wire.  We cut a hole to see if Charlie showed any interest in flying free. One incredible day, after several weeks, he finally chose to pair with the other crow and flew out of the enclosure to be free on the property.  That was two years ago and they are both still together.  Every day they come to remind me to put out the fresh food they have grown to expect. They, and their family, are wonderfully protective of the Sanctuary and show that by chasing away the hawks that frequently come here wanting to feed on other birds and squirrels living on our property.

After seeing the unbelievable and horrendous things humans either do or allow to happen to animals, this is the perfect story. This is exactly why we work so hard to provide everything possible to ensure a happy ending for all our animals and birds who have and will call Sara’s Sanctuary their safe haven. 

 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.