Forest Animal Rescue by Peace River Refuge & Ranch
A nonprofit wild animal sanctuary and educational facility
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The captive wildlife crisis is no secret; it is in the news almost weekly. Hundreds to thousands of wild cats and primates are sold to roadside zoos and to individuals as pets. When formerly dependent wild animals reach adolescence, they begin to exhibit aggression. Often, following negligent/abusive treatment, the animal is discarded or confiscated by authorities. The results can be tragic for the owner, the public, and the animal. We are part of a network of accredited sanctuaries, working together to help captive, nonreleasable animals to receive lifetime care in a peaceful, sanctuary setting. Meanwhile, we work with authorities from Florida and surrounding states to rehabilitate orphaned black bear cubs for release back into the wild. We also work with other wildlife rehabilitators across the State by providing and maintaining protected parcels of land for the safe release of native animals that cannot be returned to where they came from.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Animal Sanctuary and educational facility
Dedicated to the lifetime care of abused, neglected and confiscated nonreleasable wild animals to prevent them from being destroyed. Rehabilitation and release of native black bears. Interns and volunteers from around the world are taught the proper methods of caring for the animals in a no-kill, non-breeding sanctuary setting. Educational talks and slideshows are done at colleges and other venues without taking animals out for exploitation.
Where we work
Awards
Shelter of the Week 2007
SPCA International
Top-Rated Nonprofit 2023
GreatNonprofits
Affiliations & memberships
Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance 2023
Florida Wildlife Rehabilitators Association 2023
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of animals with freedom from discomfort
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Animal Sanctuary and educational facility
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Animals are provided with the best in veterinary care and nutritional supplements to provide the best quality of life and control of arthritis and other issues related to age and prior physical abuse.
Number of animals with freedom to express normal behavior
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Animal Sanctuary and educational facility
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
The animals in our care are provided with large, natural habitats. They are introduces to playmates of their own kind as appropriate, and we provide environmental enrichment regularly.
Number of animals provided with long term care
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Animal Sanctuary and educational facility
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Except the orphaned wild bear cubs that arrive for rehabilitation and release, the animals we rescue have been living in captivity and cannot be released. They are with us for lifetime care
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Animal Sanctuary and educational facility
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We strive to engage as many volunteers and interns as possible through our programs. We educate on best practices so they may return home and share their knowledge to improve animal care worldwide
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
As much-needed legislation is passed and greater control is brought to the largely unregulated practice of exploiting, breeding, buying, and selling wild animals as pets, the animals that are already in the system will need lifetime care at sanctuaries. There is an increasing need for appropriate lifelong care for all these animals and the training of others to assist in the development of additional facilities to accept animals as they require sanctuary placement.
Hopefully, the need for this program will reduce as future generations recognize that wild animals deserve our respect and should not be exploited as they have been in the past.
On the other hand, education to reduce the amount of wildlife conflict is becoming more urgent as the human population in Florida continues to grow, reducing the undisturbed areas of wildlife habitat steadily. The land that is owned and protected by our organization is managed to restore the habitat, remove invasive plants and maintain the best possible ecosystem for native wildlife that lives or is released on the site.
Our internship and volunteer programs help to provide this experience and fuel the passion to protect the animals and the natural habitat they we all rely on.
Our dedication to meeting the lifetime needs of releasable and nonreleasable animals is contagious - and our educational programs will help to fuel that trend.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Forest Animal Rescue provides a lifetime-care sanctuary to nonreleasable wild animals in a natural, wooded setting, surrounded by protected land.
Our sanctuary is committed to serving public welfare by assisting authorities upon request in removing potentially dangerous animals that are owned illegally and pose a public safety risk. We provide skilled services in the chemical immobilization of an animal, transport, housing, and veterinary services. We also facilitate rescues, and as needed, transportation to a reputable sanctuary out of state.
We work with Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation and authorities from surrounding states to rehabilitate and release wild black bears, typically orphaned cubs.
Forest Animal Rescue generates global public education and awareness through our international and domestic volunteer programs and internships, social media and online videos, presentations to civic groups, issuing press releases, and through our mail and online newsletters. We are in the process of designing and implementing 24-hour "AnimalCams" to extend our outreach even further.
We strive to educate the general public on the safety issues surrounding wild animals in captivity as well as the issues the animals face in exploitation, and why wild animals do not make appropriate pets.
At the same time, we provide opportunities for interns and full-time volunteers from around the world to learn the best practices for operating a sanctuary and caring for abused and neglected animals. Teaching others to help the animals recover from their previous lives of exploitation, abuse, and neglect will ultimately increase the capacity of other facilities around the globe to provide a solution from the ground up.
Our interns and volunteers work with us to restore and manage the habitat and provide safe release on parcels of land owned by the sanctuary, to rehabilitated wildlife native to Florida. Helping them to fully understand our connection to the natural world around us will ensure that they place a higher value on the protection of our Native land and natural resources.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
For the past 25 years, Peace River Refuge & Ranch (dba Forest Animal Rescue) has been a fully licensed and accredited sanctuary. We provide large, natural habitats for the animals to live the rest of their lives in the most natural setting we can provide and the best in veterinary and nutritional care.
We have trained and experienced staff in animal husbandry, disaster planning, first-aid, chemical immobilization, and transport. We have our own state-of-the-art veterinary clinic and the capacity to handle almost anything we require on-site with our team of veterinarians.
In addition to our website and Guidestar profile, we have over 9,500 Facebook followers as well as a strong social media presence on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. These platforms help us to get the message out to educate the general public. We are in the process of designing and implementing 24-hour "AnimalCams" to extend our outreach even further.
We actively work with our National and international animal welfare and advocacy partners. We are members of the Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance (BCSA) accredited by the American Sanctuary Association (ASA) and licensed by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission (FWC), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and US Fish and Wildlife (USFWS). Co-Founder, Lisa Stoner is a Master Naturalist with a finance background and serves on the Finance Committee for the Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We have supported and promoted the passage of the Big Cat Public Safety Act as well as a ban on big cats and elephants in circuses. We have educated thousands that wild animals do not make good pets and the best practices in providing quality lifetime care for wild animals that cannot be released. We are able to boast a 100% success rate in rehabilitating and releasing orphaned black bear cubs brought to us by wildlife officials.
Since our inception, we have met the needs of thousands of releasable and nonreleasable wild animals. Hundreds of interns and domestic and international volunteers have seen our passion firsthand and learned what each person can do to make a difference.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Forest Animal Rescue by Peace River Refuge & Ranch
Board of directorsas of 12/11/2023
Kurt Stoner
No Affiliation
Lisa Lang
Kurt Stoner
Lisa Stoner
Barry Kellogg, VMD
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Not applicable -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 03/25/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.