Shy Wolf Sanctuary Education and Experience Center

Mission Statement

Shy Wolf Sanctuary’s mission is to heal hearts and minds through rescue, sanctuary, and education. We do this by rescuing captive-bred exotic and un-releasable wild animals with nowhere else to go, providing life-long sanctuary, and sharing their stories of hope and healing through unconditional love to inspire the people they meet daily and through our Healing Hearts program.

Organizational Overview

Founders Kent and Nancy Smith have spent their lives advocating for animals that would otherwise fall through the cracks. In the 1970’s Nancy campaigned for the first animal protection laws in Collier County, forming the basis for what is now Domestic Animal Services. The first captive-bred exotic animal they rescued was a three-legged black Asian leopard named Moondance in 1993. Since that time, the sanctuary has based its operations on only 2.5 acres and rescued thousands of animals, while educating tens of thousands of community members.