Dorothy and Toto no longer need to go to the dark and creepy forests of the merry old land of Oz to sing of lions, tigers and bears. All the same critters are now stalking the hillside of Alpine.
Oh my!
“My husband and I purchased this land specifically for the animal sanctuary,” said Bobbi Brink, the founder of Lions, Tigers & Bears, a big cat and exotic animal sanctuary. “This no kill, no breed, no sell, educational rescue facility allows the animals to live out the rest of their lives in dignity.”
LTB currently has 12 big cats and five bears. A handful of domestic farm animals also call the 93 acres of LTB their home. Brink said it costs about $33,000 a month to run the sanctuary.
“We have to say no all the time when people ask us to take in more animals,” she said. “If we do not have the land for their home and the funding—which comes strictly from donations—we have to say no or else we’d just be part of the problem.”
Brink works to help promote legislation to stop endangering the lives of animals, and goes to different areas in the nation to conduct health check-ups, match animals to sanctuaries and assist with transportation.