I recently purchased 16 acres of land which is mostly open space and I want to use it as a not for profit animal sanctuary/zoo. I would like it to house all the animals like bears that wander into someone's back yard or a wild coyote that bite someone hiking instead of having it be put down. I hear stories like this everyday a few years ago a couple brought their pet raccoon into a pet store and the owner called the police. They ended up taking the raccoon away from their owners and put it down for fear that it had rabies. After they killed him they found out he didn't have rabies. I would like to rescue all these wild animals that are senselessly put down everyday. Can someone tell me the step by step process including securing grants.
I want to open up a zoo
- Thread starter Ant12345
- Start date
Before you search for grants and funding, which are hard to come by, you need to find out what kinds of permits and requirements your state and local governance require. One cannot just keep wild animals without experience and permits from your state. Most sanctuaries fund the initial design, labor and care, and build of cages and such on their own to show that their model is viable, if you are looking for someone to fund the entire endeavor....that is likely not going to happen.
Yeah, it's a lot more complicated than what Zoo Tycoon and Planet Zoo may tell you. As SwampDonkey said, you'll need to figure out the permits and requirements first, and make sure you have the experience to handle whichever animals you were looking to keep. Probably best to start with the safe option of domesticated animals first.