Today, we have three ambassador animals: Julio the Great Horned Owl, Xena the American Kestrel, and Bybee the Western Painted Turtle. We make a lifelong commitment to our Ambassador Animals, and our highest priority is to provide them with the best possible lives – even if that means finding them homes at other permitted facilities where they can truly reach their potential as ambassadors.
We are actively exploring new homes for our ambassadors and we have some exciting leads with friends and partner organizations in Oregon. We are happy to share that Chintimini Wildlife Center is interested in providing a new home to Bybee, and Wildlife Center of the North Coast is interested in welcoming Xena. Both of these organizations have growing ambassador animal programs and have at least one full-time staff member dedicated to the program. We are still exploring options to rehome Julio.
We love these animals and will ensure their new homes give them the opportunity to thrive and continue to promote the conservation messages and compassion for wildlife that gives their captivity meaning. Please rest assured that we would not transfer any of our animals unless we truly believed a new facility could provide them an outstanding and improved quality of life.
The transition will not happen overnight. Our commitment to you is that we will keep you informed and ensure that staff, volunteers, and members of the public have plenty of time to come and say goodbye before any of our animals are transferred. And we’ll let you know where they will be transferred so you can visit them in their new homes.
This is a painful decision. Julio, Xena, and Bybee are beloved in our community. We recognize the impact this will have on the many people who come to the sanctuary to see the animals, and especially on the staff and volunteers who have put so much time over the years to give them the best possible lives. We thank you for your understanding, and your care for all our ambassador animals.
