Kirshners Barry Wildlife Foundation

I went here because I had heard good things about it and I have a passion for animals. I live about an hour away but was in the area so my friend, her son and I decided to check it out.
The first thing I noticed was the size of the cages and I could not get over that the entire visit. These Poe animals were all in little chain link enclosures with nowhere to fill out run or exercise. One lion and one coyote were pacing back and forth, over and over, looking stressed out. All of the animals had a sad look in their eyes.
I will absolutely never go back or recommend this place to anyone. These poor animals deserve more natural enclosures and more space. It breaks my heart.

This was probably one of the cleanest wildlife preserves I have ever been to. All of the animals appeared happy and well cared for. I’m not quite certain how others have such a terrible perception of this place without even having see it. I reviewed both links posted by other reviewers and neither were working pages. I also researched the place through PETA and other organizations and found nothing negative. Seems like spammers in my opinion. Staff was also very kind and informative. Great, great place to take a curious 4 year old for a perfect sized adventure.

As I understand it, this place runs completely on donations… For that, I give them a high five!
However, when you go there and don’t see one animal with any sign of liveliness in their eyes you can’t help but notice there’s something wrong.
To be honest, maybe this place needs to let other animal rescue facilities (ones with a larger donation base) take any more incoming animals and focus on the ones they have.
The cages are extremely small for these animals who are huge and naturally used to a large environment. They need room! I wouldn’t even keep my dog in such a small area let alone a full size bear or deer.

This was my second visit to the sanctuary, and regardless of some of the reviews, I think it’s a great place to check out. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable, and you get to see the animals MUCH closer than you would at a zoo. I do agree that a few of the animals have smaller cages to run in than seems appropriate, but they all have toys and bigger than adequate houses to sleep in. Both times I went, the animals seemed to have plenty of food and water, and although it’s hot, they are always shaded. As a non-​profit organization, I think they are doing the best they can with the donations they are receiving. I love that they have a bio for each one of the animals so you know how they came to be at the sanctuary. If you have $ 10 to spare ($ 6 for children under 16) and are in the area, it’s an awesome cause to support and a neat place to see

Just visited the wildlife foundation with my family, and we all love it. It was way better than a traditional zoo experience, because we were able to get so close to the animals and many of them definitely interacted with us. Maya, a massive Liger, was absolutely stunning, and quite playful. We were also fortunate to see a baby bear cub as well as a baby tiger cub. The tiger cub was playing chase with my daughter through the cage following her every move. In talking to one of the volunteers, I was surprised to learn that this cub was actually blind from birth, which is how/​why they obtained the cub. Love the snow leopard too.
Although the animals are confined to cages here, without the existence and care from the foundation they would all be much worse off.

I will continue to support this great facility. Always. We have brought our niece with us quite a few times, and she loves to see the different animals. We also went on Valentine’s Day for the Fundraiser and meeting a tiger. They are very careful, and dedicated to each animal in this establishment. Every cage (yes unfortunately cages) is well kept, clean and safe. Each person cares about the animals and their well being, and if you disagree you don’t come here enough, nor do not know what you are saying. I wish I had more money to donate to this worthy cause. They rehabilitate animals with special needs, allergies, those that could not cope being in the wild if they were let go! I love coming here, and will come again and again.

If I ever become a millionaire I want to buy all these wonderful animals bigger cages! I understand this is a non-​profit and a rehabilitation center for these animals but I feel bad they have such small enclosures.
I would like to mention everything was EXTREMELY clean, and the animals look as if they were very well taken care of. To me that is important. I have been two times, including today and I really enjoyed myself both times. Today one of the bears was playing in the water and splashed all of us! It was really cute.
I am sure a lot of people would be concerned with the cages, and I am sure there are people that would not like this place for that, but lets keep in mind why these animals are here! All of the animals today had a lot of food in their shelters as well… they are definitely well fed!
I would recommend this for a quick activity if you are bored. It is a nice area and worth driving too.

This place is a working rehabilitation and care facility. It is therefore important to bear (ha!) in mind that it’s designed for that purpose, and the human visiting element is a distant second. It may be difficult to get good photographs due to the way the enclosures are designed, and you may not be able to get a good view of animals that are sleeping or hiding.
The do have quite a variety of both unusual and commonplace animals, from ligers to coyotes to deer to parrots, all of which have special needs. The foundation takes animals rejected by zoos and other sources that are not able to care for them, and provides medical support that’s designed to give the animal the best possible chance at a high-​quality life.
The location can be quite hot, and I strongly recommend you bring a hat if you visit on a warm day — there is not much shade for visitors. It is out of the way, not very close to town, so plan accordingly to avoid heat stroke and starvation.
It’s worth arranging a tour with one of the knowledgeable staffmembers, who can give you the backstory for each of the residents and explain the various health challenges each animal faces. It’s fascinating, educational, and inspiring to know that there’s a facility committed to providing the very best care to animals that would otherwise be discarded or allowed to suffer.
This non-​profit needs support. I hope you’ll also consider a donation!

This place was ok… we visited in mid-​july at 1:00 pm so it was hotter than hades and there is no shade whatsoever. We actually felt really sorry for all the animals (they are kept in tiny cages and have no visible water or way to cool themselves.) The double chain-​link fence makes it really hard to see the animals which were all asleep the day we went. The only animals that were actually moving around in the cages were the brown bears and one coyote. The only restrooms are porta potties… on a day that is 102 degrees… NO THANK YOU! This place needs work.

Lions, tigers, and bears.