Servals are small, African cats and are our most elusive residents. In the wild, they spend most of the day hiding in tall grasses trying to keep away from larger predators. Often referred to as “the cat of spare parts,” they have many interesting features and markings. They rely mostly on hearing, which their large ears are very efficient at. Savannah is our sassy resident maiden. She lived at a zoo in California where she fractured her femur and had to spend a few weeks under medical watch. After she was healed, she came to live out her life at Rancho Wildlife with Eli. She is quite the fiery girl and always greets visitors with a nice, teeth baring hiss. She doesn’t enjoy playing as much as Eli, but give her a big cardboard box and you will find her there for the next several days.

Our female serval broke her leg in transport to a local zoo. Unwanted after her injury we adopted her in 2001 and introduced her to our male serval who was one of the first animals to start the foundation in 1998.

The American badger is a solitary animal with large front claws to help create dens and burrows.  They use their dens for sleeping, hunting, storing food and giving birth. With their muscular neck, thick fur and powerful jaws, they are able to fend off most large predators like bears and mountain lions. Frito likes to surprise his keepers in the morning by rearranging his dens.

Our American badger was picked up by Animal Control, brought to a licensed wildlife rehab center and deemed non-releasable due to head trauma and partial blindness. California Fish and Wildlife contacted us to adopt him in 2017.

Raccoons are nocturnal animals, feeding mostly at night. Their most distinctive physical trait is the dark mask around their eyes, which is believed to help them camouflage in the shadows of the trees. Being very inquisitive animals, they often encounter problems when having run ins with humans. Holly is a very social and playful raccoon and looks forward to her daily enrichment and visit from her keepers.

Holly was being kept illegally as a pet and Winnie was deemed non releasable after an unsuccessful rehab attempt.  California Fish and Wildlife contacted us to adopt them in 2017.

Raccoons are one of the most adaptable of the Carnivora and are able to live very comfortably in urban areas as well as wilderness areas. Being omnivores and opportunistic eaters, their diets vary by their environment. Common foods include fruits, plants, berries, nuts, rodents, eggs and carrion. Winnie is a foodie and shows great excitement when he breakfast and dinner are being delivered.

Holly was being kept illegally as a pet and Winnie was deemed non releasable after an unsuccessful rehab attempt.  California Fish and Wildlife contacted us to adopt them in 2017

There are only about 3,200 tigers left in the wild, 2,000 of which make up the Bengal tiger population native to India. Bengals are normally found in much greater densities than the others which is why they are so ahead in numbers. While the numbers for all tigers are still very low, many countries have taken steps lately to protect them from declining further, and most have gained numbers in recent years. Contrary to popular belief, white tigers are not their own subspecies; any type of tiger can be white. It is a very rare recessive gene that only occurs about 1 in 10,000 births. There has not been a white tiger spotted in the wild for 50+ years because since they don’t blend in well, it is very difficult for them to survive especially when they’re cubs. Lily is our most special ambassador. She was born in 2004 and has been with Rancho Wildlife since she was just a cub. She came from a photo attraction facility in Kansas that also bred tigers onsite and was shut down after a teenager was mauled. Though solitary by nature, Lily gives each of her visitors a special greeting chuff and will often roll onto her back almost as if she’s asking for a belly scratch. She loves to play with toys in her pond, run alongside the fence with her keepers and sleep! Tigers usually sleep an average of 17 hours a day and Lily has definitely shown this to be true. Tigers are also known to be pretty aggressive, but even our veterinarian Dr. Klause who has worked with 1000+ large cats says Lily is the kindest, happiest cat he has ever worked with! She inspires everybody she meets to become an advocate for these incredible creatures who need as much support as they can get.

Our Bengal tiger was born at a photo attraction facility in Kansas. A teenager was attacked and killed by one of the tigers, the tiger was killed and the facility was closed down. Lily was brought to live with us in 2004.

Every zebra has a unique stripe pattern, which makes it difficult for predators to differentiate one zebra from the next throughout the herd. Zaddle has a sweet disposition and loves to play with her soccer balls.

A zoo in Virginia donated the zebras to the foundation in 2009. Upon multiple inspections and warnings, the zoo was closed down for not meeting standards of animal care.

Zebras are not as fast as horses; however they have great stamina to outpace predators. When chased, they zig zag quickly to confuse their pursuers. Our male zebra Ziddle, displays his power by bucking wildly as he gets a surge of excitement at feeding time.

A zoo in Virginia donated the zebras to the foundation in 2009. Upon multiple inspections and warnings, the zoo was closed down for not meeting standards of animal care.

Crows are thought to be the most intelligent birds in the world. They’ve been able to prove their intelligence by their success to adapt to civilization, ability to utilize and even make tools, and understanding of analogies. Ethel has come a long way since arriving at our facility. With only having one eye, she moves cautiously when maneuvering through her enclosure.

Our crows were being kept illegally as pets for about 14 years, living in small parrot cages. CA Fish & Wildlife Dept. confiscated them and contacted us to adopt them in 2017.

Peafowl are the national bird of India! Their spectacular appearance and amazing tail feather display make them well known throughout the world. A peacock’s most striking feature is their long train, which can encompass nearly 2-thirds of their total body weight. Marc Anthony spends springtime displaying his amazing train to Peeps, even though it usually goes unnoticed. He is very shy and keeps to himself when the keepers are around. His favorite enrichment is to forage for worms.

Coyotes at a local park killed our peahen’s family. With no mother to care for her, we adopted her and introduced her to our peacock in 2013.

Peafowl are among the largest of all birds that can fly. The peahen’s feathers are more drab than their male counterparts with mostly tan, brown and white feathers. This coloring helps them camouflage in order to protect their peachicks in the nest. Peeps always greets her keepers at the door and assists them with the cleaning of her enclosure. You will often see her admiring herself in the mirror and ignoring the flirty advances by Marc Anthony.

Coyotes at a local park killed our peahen’s family. With no mother to care for her, we adopted her and introduced her to our peacock in 2013.

Scarlet macaws are known for their brilliant red plumage that covers the majority of their body. They are also known for their powerful beaks, which can easily crush nuts and seeds.  Heidi, our scarlet macaw, embodies both of these attributes.  As much as she is beautiful, she is also very destructive!

All of the macaws were privately owned and were donated to the foundation.

Macaws are the largest of the parrot family, and there are 17 different species. They are known for their bright and colorful plumage, and their long tails make up about half of their body length. They can live up to an average of 80 years, and their intelligence is compared to a two-year-old child. In the wild, each different species is from a different region of South or Central America and they are typically found in flocks of about 20-30 birds. They form monogamous bonds with their partner for life and will spend their time feeding, preening and caring for each other. They spend most of their day foraging for food, which means they are constantly busy. For this reason, as pets or in sanctuaries they need constant attention or stimulation. We like to make toys from cereal boxes, paper towel rolls, egg cartons, coffee filters etc. The toy making can also be done as a service project for scout troops, field trips or birthday parties. The birds love to find the treats we’ve hidden and tear the boxes to shreds. Oliver is our macaw that thinks he is a human. He is not friendly toward the other birds and prefers to stay in the office with the keepers. He is our best talking macaw and can say 5+ words and make many different sounds. He loves to be admired by a group of people and will often spread his wings out when you say “stick ‘em up!”

All of the macaws were privately owned and were donated to the foundation.

Because Blue and gold macaws are highly intelligent, they tend to have an inquisitive nature.  They need constant enrichment to keep their busy minds stimulated.  Jojo can mimic human speech and often greets her visitors with a big “Hello!”

All of the macaws were privately owned and were donated to the foundation.

Yellow-naped amazons are especially known for their wittiness and their remarkable talking abilities. Darwin prefers to be center stage with her continuous chatter and crazy antics. She is fond of saying her own name loud and clear.

After bouncing around multiple homes due to aggression problems, she was donated to the foundation in 2009 at the age of 25.