St. Augustine Wild Reserve

St. Augustine Wild Reserve

Animal lovers on Sunshine State holiday will definitely want to schedule a special tour of the seven-acre St. Augustine Wild Reserve, a non-profit corporation created as a wonderful rescue center for unwanted, abandoned, “orphaned” and abused exotic animals.

Frequently, individuals obtain an exotic pet, only to realize that the animal's wild nature and needs don’t fit into their schedule or household as they expected; the Wild Reserve steps in and rescues the creatures from these sadly unfortunate domestic situations and gives them back their lives in a safe haven designed to properly meet their requirements – and then some - and ensure happier, healthier futures while in the protective custody of caring and attentive stewards who cater to the special needs of wild animals in captivity.

Tigers, mountain lions, an African lion, wolves, leopards, and an assortment of small mammals including several cervals, a bobcat, a bushbaby, a caracal, a Siberian lynx, a jungle cat, an assortment of birds including fancy chickens and geese and even a Madagascar Hissing cockroach call the Wild Reserve home. Weekly, all eight of the Reserve’s treasured tigers are treated to luxurious lavender scented bubble baths, providing the big cats clean, pest-free coats and hours of enrichment. Visitors are given guided tours of the compound by an experienced wildlife professional who introduces the different species and shares each animal’s biography; they meet and experience close interaction with many of the resident exotics, including precious Onyx, the reserve’s beloved black leopard who survived cancer but lost a leg in the process, gaining star status when Ripley’s Believe it or Not featured her story on national television.