St. Augustine Wild Reserve

About St. Augustine Wild Reserve

St. Augustine Wild Reserve is a nonprofit wildlife sanctuary and educational facility in St. Augustine, Florida, that offers guided tours by appointment. Its website identifies the parent organization as the Soul of the Wolf Wildlife Sanctuary and Educational Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3). It is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and it is not open for walk-in visits.

The reserve says it cares for about 90 animals, including wolves, African lions, tigers, hyenas, bears, coyotes, lynxes, leopards, jaguars, and various birds. Its stated mission is to provide a home for unwanted and abused exotic animals, keeping them for life without breeding. The reserve also says that close and personal interaction with wild animals creates a deeper respect for and understanding of nature and wildlife than any book or television program.

History

According to the reserve's About page, Soul of the Wolf Wildlife Sanctuary was established in June 1995 as a nonprofit rescue center, responding to a need to care for exotic animals abandoned by owners who underestimated the challenges of keeping wild animals as pets. The reserve operates as St. Augustine Wild Reserve.

The page names Deborah Warrick-Rossi as founder and describes more than 40 years of exotic animal experience, with animal husbandry certification from the Los Angeles Zoo, a biology degree from the University of North Florida, and a master's degree in veterinary forensic science from the University of Florida.

The About page describes two examples of how animals arrived. Two wolves came to the sanctuary after their owner died in a car accident, and other animals were confiscated by Fish and Wildlife from people who held them without the proper state permits.

Exhibits and habitats

The tours cover a 7-acre animal compound with animals in secure habitats. According to the reserve, guests can get within about 5 to 10 feet of the animals, with no direct contact on standard tours.

The tours page lists white tigers, orange tigers, golden tabby tigers, Ti-ligers, lions, servals, lynxes, bears, leopards, jaguars, hyenas, and wolves. Giant tortoises are part of the VIP tour. The home page names two jaguars, Rio, a spotted jaguar, and Diego, a melanistic jaguar, and also mentions tigers, deer, and large-billed parrots.

Conservation and programs

Programs listed on the website are public tours, VIP Friday tours, and private field trips for schools and organizations. The VIP tour starts at 11 a.m. on Fridays and is limited to 25 guests. According to the tours page, it includes limited photography, petting wolves through fencing, hand-feeding wolves or hyenas with tongs, and bathing and hand-feeding giant tortoises.

The reserve accepts donations and lists animal adoption sponsorships, corporate partnerships, planned giving, an Amazon wish list, and volunteer opportunities as ways to support it. Its website notes a 2024 Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice Award and says it was named Best Animal Encounter in the Jacksonville area in 2020 and 2022, and Best Group Outing in 2022.

Planning your visit

Tours are by appointment only. As listed on the reserve's website, standard tours run Monday and Wednesday at 2 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m., with VIP tours on Fridays at 11 a.m. Booking is done online through the reserve's Bookeo page.

A standard tour runs about one and a half to two hours and is led by an experienced wildlife professional. The reserve says all ages are welcome, though small children may not be able to last the whole tour on foot, and strollers are allowed on the hard-packed limerock path. Two golf carts are available for elderly or mobility-limited guests, and wheelchairs are permitted on the uneven coquina sand and gravel pathways. Because the animals are in chain-link enclosures, the reserve no longer allows visitors to take photos; it offers a flash drive of cage-free animal photos at the end of the tour instead. Tours proceed rain or shine unless hurricane conditions threaten. Ticket details are on the reserve's website.