Carson Springs Wildlife Conservation Foundation

About Carson Springs Wildlife Conservation Foundation

Carson Springs Wildlife Conservation Foundation is a wildlife sanctuary at 8528 E County Road 225 in Gainesville, Florida. It is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and its website describes it as both a visitor attraction and a continuing education facility for student volunteers of all ages. The foundation states its mission as preserving wild species in their native habitats.

According to the foundation's about page, the property covers 275 acres of Florida woods and farmland and is home to approximately 30 rare and endangered species and more than 100 animals. The foundation says that every visitor receives information about the species living on the property and meets individual animals and learns their stories.

The foundation does not operate as a conventional walk-in zoo. Its website says there is no general admission except on its two open house days, and that other visits are made through scheduled guided tours booked in advance online. The foundation also says it receives no state or federal funding and relies on private donations, and that all donations go toward animal care.

History

The foundation's website traces its beginnings to the fall of 2001, when its founders, Christine and Barry, who are described as former thoroughbred horse racing professionals, traveled to South Africa to support cheetah preservation. They connected with the De Wildt Cheetah Trust and its founder, Ann VanDyk, and were asked to help with fundraising in the United States. After a return trip in 2002, Christine and Barry bought a farm with VanDyk that served as an educational preserve and as a facility to temporarily house problem cheetahs and leopards. The website says funds raised paid for land, a microlight plane, tracking collars and equipment, and educational materials.

In 2007, mostly retired from the racehorse business, the founders considered moving permanently to their farm near Bela Bela, South Africa, but decided instead to continue the mission in the United States on their former horse farm near Gainesville. The website says they accepted their first animals in 2008, after large enclosures were built. According to the foundation, its tigers and lions were relocated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or the USDA or transferred from bankrupt facilities, other animals were confiscated by Florida Fish and Wildlife, and most other species are part of species survival breeding plans, retired from zoo breeding programs or part of its education program. The site says the founders donate their land, time and equipment and take no salary.

Exhibits and habitats

The foundation's Meet the Animals page organizes its residents by group and lists individual animals by name.

Big cats listed include cheetahs, tigers, lions, jaguars, Amur leopards and clouded leopards. The page names tigers Tank, Tabitha, Gator and Gaby, and describes the tigers as former photo cats that were abandoned once they grew too old. Medium and small cats listed are caracals, Siberian lynx, pumas, servals, Geoffroy's cats, Asian fishing cats, jungle cats and rusty-spotted cats.

Other carnivores listed are striped hyenas, spotted hyenas, bat-eared foxes, black-backed jackals and tayras. The page lists several primates, all lemurs: red ruffed lemurs, black-and-white ruffed lemurs, ring-tailed lemurs and common brown lemurs.

Hoofed and other mammals listed include reticulated giraffes, sitatungas, warthogs, Kune Kune pigs and two-toed sloths. The page also lists sulcata tortoises, kookaburras and silvery-cheeked hornbills. The home page additionally mentions an Indian rhinoceros named Henry and a cheetah named Sheena.

Conservation and programs

The foundation's about page says it is licensed by the USDA, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and Alachua County, and describes itself as a "ZAA accredited facility." The same page says it is inspected no less than twice a year and has never been cited. The foundation is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Educational programming centers on guided tours led by professional zoologists, which the home page says emphasize conservation, preservation and the balance of nature. The home page says special tours are available for school, camp and church children's groups and that donations enable those children to visit. Corporate events and large groups are also listed, along with volunteer and intern positions.

Planning your visit

Tours are booked online through the foundation's website, which uses an embedded reservation system. As listed on the website, the main tour types are:

• Walk or Ride Tours, a two-hour guided outing for all ages that includes big cat feeding demonstrations.
• Private Walking Tours and Private Ride Tours, each two hours, arranged for a group of friends or family. The ride version uses motorized tour vehicles in place of walking.
• Open houses, such as a Spring Safari Open House listed as a four-hour, self-guided event with animal demonstrations, food trucks and zookeeper meet-and-greets.
• Safari Zoo Camp, a junior zookeeper day camp of 6.5 hours for ages 6 and up.
• Seasonal events, including Christmas and New Year walk or ride tours, a Halloween drive-thru, and a Valentine's Day walking tour for visitors 21 and older.

The home page says walking tours are held every Saturday at 10 a.m. Tour dates and open houses change, so the schedule and ticket details are on the foundation's website. The foundation can be reached by phone at (352) 468-2827 or by email at contact@cswildlife.org.