RESCUE EFFORTS

**“Saving one animal may seem small, but to that animal, it means everything.
Every act of care restores hope and reminds us of our shared responsibility
to a world where wildlife can thrive.”**

SAVING THOSE IN NEED

Across the world, countless wild and exotic animals are being kept in substandard conditions—sometimes in rundown roadside zoos, other times in private “collections” masquerading as sanctuaries. Confined to cramped cages, deprived of proper care, and often exploited for entertainment or profit, these animals endure environments that border on, and too often cross into, outright abuse.

HOW WE HELP

At Heart of the Wild we know that lasting change for wildlife comes from more than big initiatives—it comes from consistent, small actions. We partner with international rescue organizations to provide care for animals suffering from neglect or substandard conditions. Each intervention, no matter how small, contributes to a broader mission: improving standards of care, protecting wildlife, and safeguarding the wild places they call home. Together, these repeated efforts create meaningful, measurable impact.

Heart of the Wild Sanctuary for animals and people

HOW YOU CAN HELP

“Imagine a world where wildlife thrives, free from neglect and harm”.
By supporting HOW’s rescue initiatives – you empower us to partner with international rescue organizations and provide critical care to animals in need. Every intervention we enable, every act of support we fund, moves us closer to a future where animals are protected, habitats are preserved, and small actions create big change.

THE RESCUE LEADS

ANDY BLUE – INTERNATIONAL WELFARE LIAISON
Andy is the lifeblood of the rescue focus. He is a world-renown animal expert with leadership experience at the San Diego Zoo and Disney’s Animal Kingdom for over 30 years. His work has taken him around the world including to Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, India, and South America. Current work includes projects in Ukraine, Somalia, Iraq, and Cuba. As director of the San Diego Humane Society and Project Wildlife he oversaw care for 1500 injured or orphaned animals each year including Mountain Lions, Bears, Coyotes, and Raptors and more.

MICHAEL KOBERT – H.O.W. FOUNDER.
Michael has over 25 years professional leadership experience in wildlife husbandry and captive animal management. At the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, he oversaw the entire mammal population (100+ species, 2,100 animals, 800 acres of habitats) and acted as the interface with all local, State and Federal oversight agencies.

CURRENT RESCUES WE ARE AIDING

THREE LION CUBS IN LEBANON

Heart of the Wild sanctuary Animals Lebanon

Imagine never touching the earth, feeling the sun or being able to run and play.

Across the Middle East, the private ownership of lions is creating a hidden crisis—one where newborn cubs enter the world on cold concrete, surrounded by rusted wire and metal bars instead of the open landscapes they were meant to roam. Three four-month-old African lion cubs—one male and two females—are among the latest victims. Orphaned and living in a dusty, barren enclosure in Syria, they huddle together for warmth, with no shelter, no hiding place, and no escape from the constant human gaze. Thanks to the tireless work of Jason Meir and Animals Lebanon, these cubs now have the chance at a safer, more natural life—and Heart of the Wild is stepping up to help make it possible. Urgent donations are needed by Dec 1 – so the cubs can be moved Dec 10!

FOLLOW THE STORY HERE:

BATIFA – THREE LEGGED RARE LEOPARD

How much must one animal endure?

Batifa, a critically endangered Persian leopard (and one of fewer than a thousand left on Earth), has spent more than two years living in a stark, unnatural enclosure at the Duhok Zoo in Kurdistan, Northern Iraq after losing a hind leg and several teeth in a villager’s trap—injuries that make his return to the wild impossible.

His rescue once drew global attention and lofty promises, but political barriers halted every attempt to relocate him, leaving him to endure constant stress, noise, and confinement – far from the life he deserves. Though recent improvements by our partner Andy Blue have eased his immediate suffering, they are only temporary. With red tape and politics by officials, Batifa still waits for the sanctuary he was promised. We are working to secure his move to a peaceful, natural home—where he can finally have the safe, dignified life he has been denied for far too long.
This leopard has survived the worst. Now he needs a chance at the life he deserves.

FOLLOW THE STORY HERE:

DONATE HERE

THANK YOU !