Volunteers

Destiny Big Cat Sanctuary is not a school for exotic animal handling, nor does it endorse those who are trying to acquire licenses to own exotic animals. Currently, all of the residents of the sanctuary are too old to safely introduce new handlers. Therefore, there will be no "hands on" training at Destiny Big Cat Sanctuary. From time to time, there are cubs from other sanctuaries that visit the compound, and the staff at Destiny will do their best to make sure that all deserving volunteers get supervised "hands on" time.

So, what can volunteers do? The staff at Destiny does everything that is needed to maintain the 6 acre compound. Animal care , property maintenance, party preparations, fund raising...you name it. So, even if you aren't looking to handle the big cats, but you have other skills that you think can help the sanctuary as a whole, we'd love to hear from you! If you'd like to spend some time on a peaceful, and beautiful sanctuary, with exotic cats around you as you get some fresh air and do a little sweat work, then we could just be your place! Remember, just because you don't go in and interact with the cats doesn't mean that you can't have a relationship with them. Our volunteer, Dutch, has never been inside with our lion Zenobia, but he probably has one of the best relationships with him, and by far gets more reaction from Zenobia than any of us on staff do.

There are some rules and limitations as far as volunteering is concerned. First and foremost is the minimum requirement of being at least 21 years old. Destiny Big Cat Sanctuary is a nonprofit organization, and will do everything that it has to in order to protect that status. After all, it wasn't easy to become a nonprofit organization. Safety for staff, visitors, the animal residents, and our community is our first priority. Exotic animals are extremely dangerous, and safety measures must be followed at all times. All volunteers must be mature, free of "big egos", and willing to strictly follow directions...especially those that concern safety. Destiny has a spotless record, and no plans to see it blemished. Once accepted, all volunteer applicants will be instructed on the compound safety rules and procedures before they begin any work on the compound.

Please e-mail us for a volunteer application.