Our Mission
"The mission of the Barry Kirshner Wildlife Foundation is to provide rehabilitation and long-term care for exotic and native species, as well as to provide educational programs on all levels emphasizing wildlife and habitat conservation."
The Barry Kirshner Wildlife Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1994. Located in Butte County, just east of Butte College, it is the only organization of its kind from the San Francisco Bay area to the Oregon state line. Through our education and conservation programs, the public will become more enlightened about the importance of both native and exotic wildlife and their habitats, and practice responsible care and preservation of all animals..
The Kirshner Wildlife Sanctuary is home to a remarkable variety of non-releasable, endangered, and exotic live animals. Each animal is housed in an enclosure that far exceeds state and federal regulations. To promote awareness on a local scale, the Kirshner Wildlife Sanctuary houses a variety of species, including representatives from all across the globe. Some of our native species include Mountain Lions, Bobcats, Coyotes, Foxes, Great Horned Owls and Hawks. Global representatives include African and Asiatic Leopards, Bengal and Siberian Tigers, Lions, Ligers, Servals, Lynx, Caracals, Snow and Clouded Leopards, and Ocelots. The Kirshner Wildlife Sanctuary is also home to Coatimundis, Fennec Foxes, a Ring-tailed Lemur, a Wallaby, Black Bears, and an assortment of exotic birds and reptiles, including Burmese Pythons, an Alligator and an assortment of Tortoises.
A priority of the Kirshner Wildlife Sanctuary is to provide these animals with all they need to keep them not only healthy, but content as well. This involves giving them the best quality care, including daily exercise, attention, and the highest quality foods. In return these animals allow the public an awe-inspiring opportunity to witness first-hand their beauty and value as a natural part of the world’s ecosystems.
The Kirshner Wildlife Sanctuary provides the community and Northern California with a valuable educational resource about our natural world and its varied inhabitants. Our non-profit organization is dedicated to education and conservation. Because our programs are approved through the university system, students have an opportunity to obtain units towards their degree. To further the mission of the Kirshner Wildlife Sanctuary, the organization offers both on-site and outreach educational programs led by one of our trained animal handlers and wildlife experts. Our Kirshner Wildlife Sanctuary offers eight levels of education in nine languages, including working with the hearing impaired. We are the first facility to provide this benefit to the community. The staff of the Kirshner Wildlife Sanctuary shares our wild animals with classrooms, assemblies, churches, 4-H, scouts, senior citizens, at risk youth, hospitals and special functions. Our animals have the potential to inspire minds and change lives! They are but a few of the natural wonders that we are close to losing forever.