A great place to see, lions and tigers and... OK, you get the idea. This is a wonderful spot to experience big animals (and small) that have been rescued from either abusive situations, or were in danger of of being put down because they posed a risk. If you live in Southern California, you will remember "Meatball", the bear who kept showing up in Glendale - he was finally brought here. Also, unlike most zoo's, you have a chance to get up close with the animals, and sometimes even feed them (through the fence of course), as long as it would not cause the animal stress. The volunteers here are knowledgeable and passionate and obviously are doing this because they love it.
I recently visited LTB for a photography workshop. This sanctuary is in a beautiful location just off the I-8. The grounds are pretty. They house and care for several species of rescued animals. The staff and the owner especially were friendly, knowledgeable, hard working, and extremely caring of the animals there. They even have on-location medical facilities for the animals and take their health and well-being very, very seriously. The animals were magnificent to observe and photograph. This organization is doing great work and I highly recommend and encourage anyone to visit and see for yourself, and support their efforts!
My husband and I love animals and had never even heard about LTB. We always search TA for info in an area we are planning to visit. LTB was on the list for the San Diego area. We went to the San Diego Zoo and we equally enjoyed LTB. Was a little unsure of paying $30 per person for something that really isn't advertised and is in back country. We really loved it. It is just what it says - Lions, Tigers and Bears with a few domestic animals like peacocks, llamas, goats, etc. I was so impressed with the professional and well-planned spaces they have for the animals. To be clear, this is a sanctuary for previously abused or misplaced animals. The animals are never bought, sold, or bred and are brought there to live out their lives. I highly recommend the visit if you are in driving distance. It is a non-profit organization and requires a reservation to get in. Well worth the money.
Beautiful setting run by incredible people providing such a wonderful service trying to give large, dangerous animals a decent life. It is easy to get emotional when you see these amazing animals and hear some of the stories of how they ended up here. Really worth a visit and a donation to this wonderful cause. Fairly easy to get to, plenty of parking, and beautiful location and usually close up views of incredibly beautiful animals.
Located just outside of San Diego in Alpine (maybe 30 minutes from downtown) this place is amazing and better than traveling to the Wild Animal Park. It is a Big Cat Rescue, not a zoo or wild animal park. All of these animals have been saved from individuals in other states who had these animals as pets and couldn't keep them or from public or private zoos that were closing down. These animals were looking at the fate of death or hunting lodges when this wonderful family opened their land and started a sanctuary. Now the sanctuary consists of lions, bengal tigers, mountain lions, bears, a leopard, a donkey, horses and all sorts of amazing rescued wild life. The grounds are beautifully created with large areas for the animals to play, waterfalls etc. The animals are well taken care of and it is a great way to show kids the animals and the conservation of these wild animals. A real feel good place. Check out there overnights and behind the scenes events.
We went to LTB today and our party of five totally enjoyed everything about it. Our tour was informative, and the stories about each animal were amazing! The dedication and love for these beautiful animals was so evident. It's not expensive at all, and the price of admission helps to maintain the animals. It's not that hard to find…. although know ahead of time that there are no big signs to help you find it. Our GPS found it, though! You have to reserve ahead of time. Please bring donations from the wish list found at their site. Everything you can give helps!
I've known about Lions Tigers & Bears for a few years now. I've been out multiple times for visits and for their events in May and December, and each time am impressed at the care this organization provides for the animals on the property. I love going out to visit and have even been able to feed the lions during one of the guided tours!I booked a tour and thoroughly enjoyed the attention the keeper gave to our group. We went on a 1.5 hour guided tour in which the keeper went into detail about each animal, the back story on the animal, facts about the species, and more. I loved getting to be just several yard away from these amazing animals! I strongly recommend you visit and upgrade your tour to the "feed a cat" experience. It's a once in a lifetime experience!
Our tour leader was Dawn, and she was great! Said she'd been there since Nov, seemed like she knew everything. You are close to the animals, we wanted to pet a few, they were so close and soft looking! Nice grounds. Hard to get a decent photo thru 2 layers of fencing...I guess safety over rules that one! Go! You will have a great time.
I brought a tiger, Phevos, from Greece to San Diego and it is the best thing that has ever happened to him, Staff so dedicated, environmentally friendly enclosures. Everything I wanted for his new life. This was worth all the money I raised to bring him here and they are well worth supporting.
Hard to find - but go for it! You need to make reservations and you should join as a member! I believe they exist strictly on donations and tours, membership - private sources.