The Creature Conservancy

About The Creature Conservancy

The Creature Conservancy is a nonprofit wildlife education organization at 4940 Ann Arbor Saline Rd in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Its website describes it as a 501(c)(3) organization with the mission Conservation Through Education. According to its history page, it provides homes to more than 400 individual animals from roughly 100 different species. The animals are former exotic pets, injured non-releasable wildlife, or animals acquired from USDA-approved establishments to serve as educational ambassadors.

The organization says more than half of its animals are rescues. Others are ambassadors that were born in captivity and transferred from other USDA-approved institutions, and that work to educate the local community about biology, ecology and conservation. The Creature Conservancy is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

History

The history page traces the organization to a morning in August 2005, when its founder and head curator, Steve Marsh, discovered a wooden box on the doorstep of a nearby veterinary clinic. Inside was a 42-inch American alligator. Based on the animal's health, the page says it was most likely a well-cared-for pet whose owner could no longer keep it. After discussions with local and state animal rescue organizations, the founder concluded that exotic animals are often re-homed or abandoned because of the difficulty and expense of care, moves to places where the animal cannot be housed, and lifestyle changes.

The alligator, called Al, became the first resident, and the organization states it has grown in size and scope since. Its weekday programs now include summer camps, school field trips and on-site and off-site visits, and its weekend open hours feature monthly presentations on the Stone Stage.

Exhibits and habitats

The Our Animals page profiles individual residents. Al the American alligator has a permanent enclosure with seasonal indoor and outdoor access and can be viewed year-round, with interpretive talks and feedings in the summer, according to the page.

Poco is a Linnaeus two-toed sloth who was bought in a pet store before he was rescued. The page says he lives with five other resident sloths, all part of the conservancy's education programs, and that he has taken part in thousands of presentations on rainforest conservation and sloth behavior.

Harper is a cougar born at a zoo in North Carolina and transferred to the Columbus Zoo soon after birth; she was placed at the conservancy after two orphaned cougars from Montana wildfires were given a permanent home at the Columbus Zoo. Quinn is a non-releasable bald eagle injured by a car in 2014; she was rescued by the Illinois Raptor Center, came to the conservancy in 2017 and serves as an education ambassador.

Two clouded leopards, Kya and Danny, are part of a captive breeding effort. Kya arrived in 2023 from the Tanganyika Wildlife Park, and Danny arrived in January 2024 from another facility to join the national program. Jerome is an Argentine tegu who needed treatment for a jaw infection and now lives at the conservancy with ongoing medical care.

Other named residents on the page include Scooter, a warthog born in 2016 at the Columbus Zoo; the mongooses Couscous, Bruce and Goose; Theodore, an African spurred tortoise found wandering near Belleville, Michigan, who lives with two Aldabra tortoises named Charles and Emma; Spike, one of six resident macaws, who is a scarlet macaw; Sven, a reindeer who can be found in the main aisle during open hours and on the Stone Stage in December; and Harry, a wolf hybrid taken in after he escaped his owner twice and was slated for euthanasia. The page also describes Arthur, an emu hatched on site on April 1, 2011; Bone Crusher, an alligator snapping turtle and former pet; and two black-throated monitors, Zombie and Shaun.

Conservation and programs

The conservancy follows the five freedoms of animal welfare, according to its history and about pages. It says diets are monitored by staff under veterinary guidance, that Animal Kingdom Veterinary Hospital provides low-cost and often free veterinary care, and that professional animal behavior staff provide enrichment. The clouded leopard pairing is described as part of the nation-wide captive breeding program for that species.

Public programs listed on the Visit Us page are open hours, birthday parties, school trips, corporate events, on-site programs, kids camps, private tours and Creatures in the Community. The home page also lists Family Animal Trivia Nights, Art and Animals events and 2026 kids camps.

Private tours generally last about ninety minutes and include chances to touch and feed some of the animals. Participants must be over 10 years old, and tours for weekend dates are scheduled several weeks in advance. The site also lists a reptile tour for participants over the age of 12, a 90-minute hands-on tour with species including blue-tongued skinks, bearded dragons, Gila monsters, cane toads, tortoises and tegus, held on weekends at 5:00pm. Reservations are required, and members receive a discount.

Creatures in the Community brings animal ambassadors to indoor venues within Washtenaw County on weekdays. It is offered either as an active presentation with larger ambassadors for a seated audience or as a stationary display with smaller animals, and it is scheduled year-round except December through February because of weather.

Planning your visit

As listed on the conservancy's website, open hours are Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The site says a featured animal program changes monthly. The address is 4940 Ann Arbor Saline Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. The phone number is 734-929-9324 and the email is contact@thecreatureconservancy.org. Admission details are on the website.

The policies page asks visitors not to feed the animals, because they follow veterinary diets and foods such as bread, nuts or fruit can be harmful. Visitors must stay behind designated barriers and keep hands outside enclosures. The campus is smoke-free, including vapes and e-cigarettes, and no firearms or other weapons are permitted. Pet dogs and other animals cannot visit. Certified service animals may access limited areas, with some regions restricted to reduce stress on the animals.