My mother and I visited this sanctuary in Tampa an...

My mother and I visited this sanctuary in Tampa and were blown away on multiple levels. There is an intense amount of care and respect evident in everything the volunteer and non-profit staff do for these beautiful animals, and although the stories of their oftentimes sad and disturbing pasts were difficult to listen to, seeing the gorgeous, spacious, and individually designed enclosures they are allowed to lounge and play in unmolested by man makes my eyes well up with happiness for them and any others who this rescue takes into their care.

They rescue these animals from illegal breeders, zoos, and private ownership where they were being abused or neglected, nurse them back to health, and let them live out their days largely unintruded in these massive, lush, gorgeous environments. Tours are only by appointment so they aren't being gawked at all day, and if they don't feel like being seen they have lots of hides and little privacy areas. The tour guides do not linger on animals who have not chosen to grace us with their presence that tour - if they're hiding or resting we just moved on to who was out.

Every two weeks, one of the big cats and one of the smaller cats gets to go on "vacation" in their respective areas. Big cat vacation is a 2.5acre open space with a lake and toys and trees where they can hang out and run at full speed if they want. They switch which cat (they have about 70 small and large) is going every 2 weeks and so all of them have multiple times per year they get to go play.

The tour guide describes this as not a zoo but a retirement home for these animals. I learned a lot, not just about the animals themselves but about their plight in the US with a distinct lack of laws restricting or prohibiting their private ownership. This tour may be difficult for some attendees who are sensitive to graphic descriptions of animal abuse.