Octagon Wildlife Sanctuary is the forever home to discarded and many times mistreated and unwanted exotic "zoo type" animals that have been confiscated by Florida Fish and Wildlife, USDA (Federal and State), or other law enforcement agencies. Most of Octagon's animals have come from breeding facilities that have been shut down, circuses, privately owned by people without proper licenses or abusive owners, or by people that thought it was a good idea to buy an exotic animal, only to realize it was a wild animal and they couldn't care for it. We are NOT a zoo. Though we rescue zoo type animals, these are ones that are 17 to 20 year generations of being born, raised, and sold in captivity to be a "pet" or be used in a business. None of the animals have been taken out of the wild. Zoos will not care for these animals due to their physical and/or mental conditions.
Once an animal is brought to Octagon, it is seen by a veterinarian who does a complete assessment, and is treated accordingly. Each animal is treated for specific ailments and conditions. Diets are developed for each animal according to what they can handle with their condition, as well as their likes and dislikes! Their enclosures are built according to USDA and Florida Fish and Wildlife regulations. The tigers and bears all have swimming pools to cool off in or just play around, and the lions (who do not like pools) have lots of shade AND sunlight to lounge around....which they love to do!! The animals at Octagon are given different items to play with, which is called enrichment, to keep them active in their environment. Our primates have TV on all the time. They love the interaction, being very social animals, the stimulation is very good for them. They actually have favorite programs and let us know if something comes on they don't care for! It's quite amusing.
Octagon Wildlife Sanctuary is a non-profit 501c3. Our animals are cared for by volunteers only. Octagon relies on donations, some small grants, fundraisers, and very generous people! Most of the food is donated by local stores, a local food bank and meat distributers that donates meat, that is not for human consumption, but still quite good for the animals. The operation of the sanctuary exceeds $10,000.00 a month. Octagon is not supplemented by any government agencies, therefore solely relies on our surrounding communities for support.
Octagon leases the land, which is privately owned, for $1.00 per year and is responsible for any and all maintenance. The director lives on the property and volunteers her time for free as do all the other volunteers. Odd jobs and the graciousness of other volunteers helps provide for her needs.
Many of our animals after they have passed on are donated to reputable colleges and universities. This allows anthropologists to further study how age and diseases affect God's creatures.
Come out and visit "THE WILDEST RETIREMENT HOME IN PUNTA GORDA"!!!!! Learn about what we do and see our magnificent animals in a serene environment. Many school kids, girl/boy scouts have benefited through our education program. High school aged individuals can also earn community hours by volunteering. Disabled adults and children visit for free to have an experience of a life time.
Octagon Wildlife Sanctuary is open Mon-Fri 9-noon Saturdays 11-4 . Sundays (November-May) 11-4. Closed Sundays(June-October). Visit our website at www.octagonwildlife.org and our Facebook Page.
Local
See and Do
- Octagon Wildlife Sanctuary Punta Gorda (0.0 miles) - Octagon Wildlife Sanctuary is the forever home to discarded and many times mistreated and unwanted e...
- ECHO Global Farm Tours NORTH FORT MYERS (5.1 miles) - ECHO's Global Farm Tour is a fascinating guided, walking tour of the most creative working farm ...
- Florida Repertory Theatre Fort Myers (11.7 miles) - Celebrating 19 years of Award-Winning Regional Theatre, Florida Repertory Theatre is a fully profess...
- Florida Repertory Theatre Fort Myers (11.7 miles) - Celebrating 19 years of Award-Winning Regional Theatre, Florida Repertory Theatre is a fully profess...
- Alliance for the Arts Fort Myers (15.3 miles) - The Alliance for the Arts is an art-centric community center on a 10-acre campus in Fort Myers where...