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Lions Tigers & Bears Big Cat Rescue
Category: Local Services Community Service/Non-Profit Community Service/Non-Profit [Edit]
24402 Martin Way(at Las Bancas-horsethief Rd)
Alpine, CA 91901
(619) 659-8078
9 reviews for Lions Tigers & Bears Big Cat Rescue
9 reviews in English
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Review from Dana T.
San Diego, CA
1/30/2012
This is a big cat sanctuary that deserves nothing but praise for their selfless acts of kindness and loving care to the beautiful wild cats that they care for. This place is a must if you want to see how an organization can be not for profit but for the care of helping these animals live out the rest of their lives in peace and dignity, without being exploited.
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Review from Warren W.
12/26/2011
A few of the previous reviews seem to be critical about the fact that it's not a fully-open zoo where the general public can come in and gawk at all the animals as they do at a zoo. It's an animal rescue facility, where the animals and their well-being are the number-one priority, and exposing them to crowds of people might not fit always be conducive with that goal.
My wife participated in a fund-raising event here a couple weeks ago, and while she was busy working, I was free to roam around the grounds with my 2-year old son. He's never seen many of these types of animals in person, so it was quite an adventure for him to try to name them based upon his experience with pictures in books.
This was also the day that they introduced their bears into a new habitat, and there was a lot of general celebration surrounding that event as well.
My main criticism of the facility (and the reason for only 4 stars and not 5) was a lack of consistency in the signs for each of the animals. As one who isn't entirely familiar with who lives in each enclosure, I couldn't always tell exactly which species of big cat that particular resident was. Some signs had this information, while others left me guessing. I'm not really surprised that things are inconsistent, however, since the facility grows one at a time as new rescues arrive, and the signs are made by volunteers or are donated. Beggars can't be choosers.
If you get invited to visit this facility, I highly recommend it. The caretakers and rescuers-in-chief are wonderful people, and this is unlike any other organization in the greater San Diego area. -
Review from Tamara C.
San Diego, CA
10/15/2010
Wonderful big cat rescue sanctuary. Beautiful bengal tigers, lions and an adorable leopard. Check out the sleepover camping adventure where you can stay over night in a tent. Great for kids and also a good cause. The cats are loved and taken care of!
- Tamara Cross Lawyer -
Review from Manny T.
Garden City, NY
3/23/2008 1 photo
This isn't really a Zoo, and it isn't really in El Cajon, that's the mailing address. It is a big cat rescue facility located in Alpine. It is NOT open to the public.
You can visit this amazing place, provided you sign up as a member, book a private appointment and then pay the extra visitation fee. It is expensive, but the cost is worth it if you enjoy once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
The grounds are huge and the women who work there clearly love their big cats. They currently have 3 lions, 4 tigers, a couple of bobcats plus others. You go and get much closer to them than you could in any zoo, but you are completely safe. Pay some extra and you can feed the tigers raw meat on skewers through the chain-link fence. It was insanely cool to do and well worth the cost. It felt even better to know that the money was going to help provide these beautiful creatures with a caring home.Listed in: San Diego
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Review from Anita P.
San Diego, CA
11/27/2010
We took a family drive to Lions, Tigers and Bears, with two teenagers and my 79 year old parents. We all enjoyed our visit very much. The cats are close enough that you feel the intimacy which is lacking at the Zoo. The cats are obviously well taken care of, the grounds are clean and the surroundings picturesque. Bobbi, the owner, was feeding the animals and answering questions as she was making the rounds. Jana gave us a personal tour and was very knowledgeable about the history of each animal and how the sanctuary is run. We were able to take a look at their new bear cub. They are building a bear enclosure for the little guy and we'll be returning to see it completed.
Lions, Tigers and Bears is worth the trip! -
Review from jamie P.
8/29/2010 3 photos
It seemed fitting that while the season premier of "The Cove" debuts on Animal planet (a movie that actually made me cry incessantly) that I should write this review. 2 very different causes built on the same premise. This past weekend I was able to venture out to Alpine to the San Diego Big Cat Rescue Center, a nonprofit that rescues abused wild animals that can't be released into the wild, and lets them live out the rest of their lives in peace. It is NOT a zoo, although you can visit on certain weekends when they have events if you are a member (which I did sign up for). They have 13 big cats---6+ of them being tigers that have been rescued from their 6x12 cells from other people's backyards, illegal breeders/poachers, mountain lions that have been caught in traps and severely injured, and their newest addition---Liberty the black bear cub who was also caught in a trap on Mt. Baldy. I was lucky enough to actually meet her, and also went grocery shopping for her the day before.
Stream of conciousness: I think if i were to be an animal I'd be a bear---the owner of the rescue told me she loves raw nuts, avocados, fruit, and dried fruit. THATs what I eat!! But Jamie, you say, "you can bear-ly afford to feed yourself." I know, but that is the type of person I am. Foolish and idealistic. I went to Trader Joes and shared my bulk of vegetarian delights with the bear =P I would have gone to Costco to get some bulk raw meat for the Tigers, but it grossed me out too much. However, one of them walked up to me, growled, and started gnawing on a carcass (I was really close to him)--I guess his way of "hello." FYI---they do allow you to feed the tigers with a long fork by the way. Uber cute. They also have domestic animals that you can meet--ones that have been rescued as well. I met a horse that had a broken leg from racing, a donkey, and some goats/pigs that were mistreated. It is a 93 acre ranch--and they are trying to expand to build the bear habitat and to expand the tiger habitat, if funding (aka donations) permit.
As for the people running the place, there is a small group of dedicated volunteers and the owners were super friendly and informative. The whole time i was given the tour, I was given this heartwrenching story on the illegal tiger poaching going on in Thailand. The newest discovery? A woman who sedated a baby tiger and locked him up in a suitcase with a bunch of stuffed animals to disguise him----for a 10hr. flight. We discussed the dolphin and wolf slaughters as well. Once I start work, I am going to start making regular donations to this charity along with others I have loved from the years before. I have visited the place and seen that the funds are NOT in vain. They are going to the animals. So I implore you yelpers, to go to the website and give a little =/
http://www.lionstigers...
I leave you with this: I would be a humanitarian if people weren't such f*cking assholes.Listed in: Riley pup's list
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Review from Monique u.
San Diego, CA
10/14/2010
I was lucky enough to visit this amazing animal sanctuary on several occasions and have always been so impressed. I love that the mission of Lions, Tigers and Bears is to provide a home to these rescued Big Cats (and small wild cats too) that otherwise would be living in horrid conditions or worse.
It has been such a pleasure to speak to the animal keepers, and hear the personal stories of how these animals came to live at LTB. This is not a zoo, it is a true sanctuary where the lucky members have a chance to see these amazing creatures up close and personal. That does not mean that you can pet a tiger, on the contrary LTB works hard to ensure that these animals live an existence that is a close to the wild as possible. Granted they are in enclosures, but they are provided shelter, stimuli, food and healthcare by a group that truly cares for their wellbeing.
I have heard over and over people saying that animals such as these should be "rehabilitated" and sent back to the wild. Though that would obviously be ideal, it is impossible for this group of Big Cats (and their one Bear now) as they have had too much human interaction prior to coming to LTB. As such, Bobbi Brink and her team have done an amazing job of making the best out of an unideal situation.
These animals are our treasure and we should all support organizations such as Lions Tigers and Bears, who step in to save the life of a wild animal when there are no other alternatives for them.
Furthermore, the property is beautifully kept, with plenty of open space for the Big Cats to roam and play. Please become a member and take a trip to experience for yourself this amazing place. And bring a friend too!! -
Review from Marney S.
La Mesa, CA
9/27/2010
(Jamie P.....you totally have a picture of Becca and I with Jack hahaha. Becca is the one Jack is trying to eat, I'm sitting to the right of her. I remember you guys! I hope you had fun! Your review is very much appreciated too!)
Ok so I'm Yelping for LTB not only because I am one of the volunteers at this establishment, but also to defend some rather.....well, ridiculous and uneducated reviews I just read on here. Firstly, I am going to explain my 5 star review because there is A LOT to say about this place.
I used to volunteer for a place that kept their animals in just-the-bare-minimum conditions, volunteers were placed in extremely dangerous situations on a daily basis, and they didn't even have permits for most of their animals. I will NOT compare LTB to this other place (I won't say the name of the organization...not even going there) because it's SO much better that the comparison is nonexistent. LTB is the most beautiful, spacious, well-kept, safe, straight-up AMAZING sanctuary I've had the privilage of seeing and working for. And that's just the grounds I'm talking about! Sure, the people don't come running up to you with a tray full of rainbows and butterflies wanting to know all about your life and why you're there...but they are all very nice, helpful, hard working, ginuine people who care SO SO much about those animals and their well-being. (Coming from someone who wants to work with animals for the rest of my life, we're not exactly "people people" but we do our best! haha). Like Jamie said, this place is run by 3 (ish) people on payroll and the rest are VERY dedicated volunteers (I work 40 hours a week and go to LTB every saturday morning to help out). Bobbi Brink does everything in her power to make sure the animals have EVERYTHING (and then some) that they need...and much of that comes from donations and volunteers. I got emotional the first day I came up to LTB because I could literally FEEL the love in this place. I love it. Period. It's my happy place! Not to mention the animals are the happiest I've ever seen!
Ok so time to hopefully bring some light to some bad reviews I read. One thing that is VERY important to understand: THIS IS NOT A ZOO!! You cannot just call the morning of with $50 or whatever it is you have in your wallet, walk right in, see the animals, buy a churro and a hat (although...they DO have hats! And other awesome shirts and stuff, by the way), pay $25 for a stupid picture you could've taken yourself, and then drive home talking about how much fun it was to see the animals 500 feet away. This place is run in an extremely organized manner...and there's a reason for it. THE ANIMALS' WELL-BEING! They do not want a crowd up there of a zillion random people, freaking out the animals, and over-crowding the volunteers. They need to know WHEN you're coming up there and how many people are coming so that they may plan accordingly (volunteers, merchandise, etc.). You can pay $25 for an adult and I believe $10 for a child if you are not members, but you still need to make an apointment (it's not that hard people). You may become a member for as little as $50 a year and that includes 12 VISITS! Every 1st saturday of the month is members day, so that may be where a fellow yelper got the " I heard you could see them this weekend " (the member clearly did not inform you on the simple steps needed to visit LTB). It is not against "you" or your "loved ones," it has nothing to do with how much cash you have in your wallet, and it most definitely does NOT have to do with LTB not wanting you to see the animals. It is extremely difficult to run an establishment like this one, and I don't think that people quite understand that.
For those of you who are NOT too lazy to simply pick up a phone and make an apointment to see this amazing place...visit the website, check out the pictures, and GO! It's one of the best experiences you will EVER have. I promise. They don't pay me for this you know....I'M A VOLUNTEER! I spend my saturdays here because I love it and I believe in it. I'm going to work here for as long as humanly possible, because I've found a place that actually gives a shit about what they're doing. If I didn't have bills to pay, I'd be up there every day!
:0)
I hope this helped! -
Review from Charity d.
San Marcos, CA
6/2/2009
I wanted to go, I wanted to take the relatives for something really unique and different than the zoo, and I wanted to go because years ago my uncle took me to a similar place in Arizona called Out of Africa, and then my cat-lover friend (a member) told me about this place and I got all excited. So I called because I heard you could see them this weekend and this is what happened:
I told them my member friend sent me their way for this Saturday and that I had some out-of-town loved ones I wanted to bring and so basically here I am with money to give and they are all "Nyah that's fer myemburz, are yew a myember? Yew kin sign up for $50 a pewrson but usually we aren't open except on odd weekends at odd hours and you have to beg us and plead like we're doing YOU a fayver and nyah sorry that's the way we are organyzed nyah..." and so there you have it they are basically being stupid and no wonder they are short on cash to feed the cats, $50 is nuts if you're from out of town and how can they expect me to ever come and bring support when they pull attitude like that? What a shame they are like that. all I wanted to do was go and support their cause, I love big cats and rescues and stuff. So I'm giving them 3 stars although I'm sure the cats themselves deserve 6, the hoo-mans there sound like they deserve none.
