Elmira's Wildlife Sanctuary, Inc.

"Lovely small rescue devoted to its animals and educating visitors about exotic animals."

"A wonderful sanctuary with a friendly staff. This is a great place to take small children! We really enjoyed our visit."

"Elvira’s was a lovely experience, to put it most simply. Most enclosures were plenty room for the inhabitants, especially the Tiger and Wolfdog enclosures. I was impressed by their scale, as most Wolfdog owners and Zoo’s do not give this amount of space to their animals. The place was incredibly clean, and is fully donor paid. They are also considered a charity, so no breeding, selling, or buying of animals here! The tigers and cougars came up and chuffed/purred (respectively) at the sound of the tour guides voices, and if that doesn’t prove the animals here are loved, I don’t know what does. As for visitor experience, they have a gift shop for donations, an animal wishlist, and plenty of other ways to support. It was particularly hot, and we were offered water. The tour guides were very educational and willing to answer any visitor questions, while also being transparent with visitors about where their animals were coming from. Elvira’s was a positive experience, and tickets are cheap. If you are in the area and have an afternoon to kill, it is a very reccomended experience."

"Considering that this is 100% volunteer & donation supported, giving it a 5 stars. One has to keep in mind the bad situations these miscellaneous wild beasts endured before getting to Elmira's. Enclosures are clean, smell good, there's evidence of 'play things' and from listening alternately 2 all 3 guides, it's clear they all respect and yes, love, their rescues. They were informative and well able to field lots of questions. If you love beasts yourself and can get around 'enclosures', this was well worth the afternoon."

"Amazing place with amazing people and amazing animals! 100% volunteer run, this sanctuary strives to give all it's residents the happiest and healthiest lives they can have. The animals here are truly loved and cared for well and tours take you closer to the animals than you'd be able to get at a zoo. Their gift shop has souvenirs for everyone and you know the money is going towards an important mission: helping these animals. Volunteering here has been an amazing opportunity and I leave here feeling like I've made a difference every time. If you have the time to volunteer, do it! If you have the money to donate, know that it's going to a great cause. And if you have a Saturday to spare for a tour, come out here. You'll learn so much and have so much fun!"