Want to hang out with sloths, hobnob with lemurs, maybe cavort with river otters? Want your kids to get up close and personal with charismatic critters and learn compassion and respect for nature? Visit a wildlife sanctuary and enjoy a unique and meaningful experience that can open your eyes, minds, and hearts.
Wildlife sanctuaries have traditionally eschewed interactions between the animals in their care and humans at large, focusing solely on the welfare of the rescued animals. But a gradual shift in approach and intention has been occurring, driven by a mission to educate and inspire the public and address the root causes of the need for such sanctuaries.
Climate change, habitat loss, and the illegal wildlife trade have sent many threatened and endangered species hurtling toward extinction. Simply rescuing at-risk animals no longer seems sufficient; creating change on personal, local, and global levels is increasingly vital to the sanctuary mission.
Two non-profit facilities in Central Florida perfectly embody different approaches to the task. Both strive to enable species preservation, rescue and rehabilitation, and community education, demonstrating the profound impact human-animal interactions can have on inspiring the next generation to be compassionate eco leaders.
The Chase Sanctuary offers the public carefully curated experiences with a charming array of exotic creatures, adhering to the guidelines of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) for respectful, safe, and mutually beneficial interactions.
The Sanctuary at Solid Rock takes on the challenge from a different direction entirely. The facility, not open to the public, is instead a division of the Solid Rock Community School, a K-12 school built around a “living classroom” model—the sanctuary being one of those classrooms for students of the S.A.V.E. program (Sanctuary for Animals and Veterinary Education).
Both organizations prioritize the well-being of their animal guests, while offering education, enrichment, and enlightenment to their respective humans.
Why it matters
When children care for animals, they’re also caring for themselves. There are multiple health benefits of human-animal interactions:
- lowered levels of cortisol and blood pressure
- lowered levels of loneliness
- increased mood
- increased feelings of social support
The collaboration
At Chase Sanctuary, the opportunity to directly encounter wild animals is essential to the mission. Ryann Renee, animal welfare director, explains it best: “Hands‑on experiences leave a deeper and more lasting impression than passive observation. The opportunity to see, touch, and feel the emotions of an animal creates a level of connection that no video or distant viewing can replicate. These moments form powerful memories and a sense of personal responsibility.”
Such opportunities include painting with lemurs, hands-off sloth encounters, and “keeper for a day.” Nina Plail, founder and executive director, notes that the positive benefits run in both directions: “The curiosity sparked by human interaction encourages exploration, allowing guests to connect with our animals in intimate, meaningful ways. Witnessing an animal’s joy in interacting with humans—and vice versa—creates a beautiful bond that enriches both their lives and the lives of our visitors.”
Children are especially captivated by the unique activities and interactions that are often unlike anything they have ever experienced. Renee emphasizes the importance of this for molding a new generation: “Seeing these animals up close fosters emotional connections that strongly predict long‑term pro‑conservation attitudes and behaviors.”
The classroom
At Solid Rock, the sanctuary was created not only to “provide forever homes to abandoned and abused animals” but also specifically to offer the students “practical skills in animal care while learning how kindness and stewardship create a more sustainable world for both people and animals.”
From the personal to the professional, the program offers immediate as well as long-term rewards. Michele Fasnacht, founder and executive director, notes that “a shy student might not want to read in front of their peers, but they’ll happily read to a pig, because they know the pig won’t judge them!”
For Fasnacht, the mission is simple. “There’s a way to organically teach our youth compassion, empathy, kindness, patience, respect, hard work, and responsibility. The Sanctuary teaches those things; the animals teach those things. For kids, it’s life-changing, as they build confidence and trust—in the animals and in themselves.”
And her goal for the children through the Sanctuary at Solid Rock as classroom and inspiration? “I want to see our students become the kind, compassionate leaders of tomorrow.”
Hay fever heyday
Hours spent outdoors tending to critters can aggravate seasonal allergies for kids. Try using a saline sinus rinse, consuming quercetin-rich foods like apples and berries, and ingesting supplements like spirulina, probiotics, and vitamin C. These can help with symptom management and boost your child’s immune system.
This article was originally published in the September-October 2026 issue of alive magazine (US edition).