27: Safe Haven

Dear Friend,

Thanks for being here to read Tracks by the Post! This is a fun letter to write because it is about an amazing and important place full of beautiful friends.

We’ve recently visited Safe Haven in Imlay, Nevada.

Safe Haven Wildlife Sanctuary has been in Imlay since 2006. Before moving to Nevada, founder Lynda Sugasa had worked in Illinois, creating a safe place for injured or orphaned wildlife to rehabilitate and to stay if they were no longer able to live in the wild.

Now in Nevada, Lynda’s passion to help wildlife continues to grow along with her incredibly successful Sanctuary.

Wildlife is precious and it, as a whole, needs protection. Though human beings have contributed to the decline in wildlife numbers, there are also people that can and do make a positive difference.

As you know, there are several reasons wildlife may not survive in the wild. An injury might leave a critter unable to fend for itself or a helpless baby might become orphaned.  

And some wild creatures become the property of people (legally and illegally). Even though a cute baby tiger, cougar, bobcat or lion might seem like a cuddly pet, they are wild inside and always will be. When they grow up, they’ll be very difficult to control.

It’s a lot of work to provide an appropriate environment for wildlife; they have very specific nutritional needs and require appropriate living conditions.

Wild animals that have been raised by humans and then released back out into nature tend to seek out humans for food. This is dangerous not only for human beings and any domestic animals present in the environment, but also for the wild animal.  

When people take in wild critters as ‘pets,’ malnutrition and neglect is common – and, sadly, there are far worse circumstances… if someone does have a wild animal in their possession, the best-case scenario is a surrender of the animal, healthy and unharmed, to a Wildlife Sanctuary like Safe Haven.

For example, Read A Story about a Bobcat Named Lyndzee.

But since Safe Haven is the forever home of many animals that have been through all sorts of scenarios, Lynda's goal for every surrender or rescue is to provide a Sanctuary, a peaceful place, where each one can live out their days, cared for and protected.

Frank and I saw a billboard for Safe Haven Wildlife Sanctuary (complete with Tiger photo) along the highway outside of Winnemucca, Nevada. We followed directions to the property and arrived in time to take a tour led by Dan, a friendly and knowledgeable guide (and expert in wild animal care).

He told us that even though some of the animals were raised in homes where, as babies, they may have received lots of belly-rubs and back scratches, the idea at Safe Haven, a ‘no contact’ organization, is to allow the animals to just be, without subjecting them to human touch.

Each of the enclosures has a “Lock-out” attached to it. The lock-out is a small cage on wheels. The animals become comfortable with climbing in to get some food. This makes it easier to load them up for transport to a veterinary appointment or, in the case of evacuation, transport to safety from wildfire.

This is Teddy, the bear, in his lock-out. While his enclosure is being cleaned, he is having a fun cool-down on this very warm day.

Caroline loves her job at Safe Haven & Teddy loves cooling off time. His coat can hold a lot of water so Caroline braces for him to shake.

Though we didn’t get to see Shree, the snow leopard, we were happy to hear that she was resting in her air-conditioned den. All of the animals have their own retreat from the heat and cold. And Safe Haven has a climate-controlled building for the entire population in the event temperatures become unhealthy, too high or too low.

We met Moe (born in 1999) and Daisy (born in 1971), two desert tortoises that have occasional supervised playdates but do not cohabitate. At this meeting, Dan told us that Daisy was less than impressed with Moe’s gentlemanly advances. You can see that she is pulling her head into her shell, signaling the end of this playdate (sorry, Moe). Desert tortoises can live well into their 70s… these two are thriving at Safe Haven.

Every animal has its own personality and comfort level. The Safe Haven team takes this into consideration before any two or more animals share an enclosure.

These enclosures are safe boundaries for the wildlife. Everyone was enjoying one of their own shady areas on the day of our visit.

But sometimes, curiosity needled them to approach the fence.

When this happens, guests are asked to maintain a safe distance and to remain calm so as not to stress out the critters during the visit.

Kahn is a Siberian/Bengal hybrid tiger. His personality is super welcoming, he seemed happy to see us, so friendly, and it was tempting to reach out and touch him… but, not only is touching the animals not allowed at Safe Haven, this tiger is a wild cat and, well, it just wouldn’t have been a good idea to put our hands through the fence.

Bombay the White Tiger greeted us with a yawn.

His face is sweet and he seems so comfortable in his digs. He is a Bengal tiger born of parents that each carried a recessive gene, a genetic mutation called leucism, (he isn’t albino, only his fur has white pigmentation). This gene also causes White Tigers to be cross-eyed along with other possible health challenges.

We enjoyed having that time with Bombay and are very happy that he is at Safe Haven, living out his life in peace.

We spent a bit of time visiting Tangassi, a majestic African Lion. He has a tranquil demeanor.

I wish we could have recorded his mighty roars as he sang out into the air, the sound waves traveled deep into our bones. A lion’s roar can be heard well over 4 miles away… if you’ve never been near a roaring lion, I can tell you, you hear and feel the roar from head to toe with raw intensity, there’s nothing quite like it! What a rare treat!

Rose is an African Lioness.

On the day of our visit, she was in a large, temporary enclosure awaiting some upgrades to her own.

She looked on from the cool and comfy shade of her platform while her neighbor, Sundra, a Bengal Tigress, cooled off the way Sundra loves to cool off... with a swim!

She’s very at home in the water!

She even scratched an itch while wading in her pool.

If you have a dog or cat, you’ve probably seen them get the “Zoomies,” sudden bursts of energy that send them racing around or playing rough like mighty hunters!

Watch this Video Collection of Animals with the Zoomies

Do all animals get the Zoomies? Even Tigers? Yep! Sundra gets that feisty look, and then...

All of the residents of Safe Haven are given toys and plenty of room with trees and structures to make the space their own. The enclosures are tidied, pools and water sources kept cool and clean. This non-profit relies on support by donations to ensure every animal's nutritional needs are met.

We are so grateful to have been able to visit with each of these beautiful friends in this wonderful place. It is obvious that a lot of hard work and loving care goes in to maintaining such a special home for each precious one. We’re looking forward to returning, and hope that you, too, will have an opportunity to visit these friends (and more) at Safe Haven Wildlife Sanctuary.

Please don’t hesitate to Write to Us. Let us know your thoughts about Safe Haven, how you’re doing, and about your world. We always appreciate hearing from you!

Sending wishes for a very healthy and happy week ahead,

Gently Be,

Leslie and Frank