~About Us ~

The Creature Conservancy is a non-profit zoological organization with the goal of educating people of all ages about exotic animals in order to promote a better understanding of the animals with which we share our world and therefore an interest in protecting the environment. Our mission is simple: “Conservation Through Education.”

An abandoned alligator was the catalyst that led to the establishment of The Creature Conservancy. One morning in August 2005, Steve Marsh (our founder and head curator) discovered a wooden box containing a 42-inch long American alligator that was left on the doorstep of the nearby veterinary clinic. Based on the health of the alligator, it was most likely a well-cared for pet whose owner was no longer able to care for it. Upon lengthy discussions with local and state animal rescue organizations, it became apparent that exotic animals, like this alligator, are often re-homed or abandoned due to various factors (such as: difficulty and expense of care, impending moves to areas where the animal cannot be housed, lifestyle changes, etc.). Since the discovery of “Al” (the alligator), The Creature Conservancy [a 501(c)(3) non-profit] has grown in both size and scope. We currently provide homes to more than 300 individual animals from roughly 70 different species. These animals are former exotic pets, animals that came to us from other zoos, or animals that we acquired from USDA-approved establishments to become educational ambassadors.

Our animals represent their species to our visitors, and we carefully adhere to the five freedoms of animal welfare to ensure that they are healthy and comfortable doing so. The animals that live at The Creature Conservancy receive the highest quality nutrition and their diets are regularly monitored by our staff under the guidance of veterinarians. Our animals live in safe environments that are designed with their physical and mental health in mind. Animal Kingdom Veterinary Hospital generously provides low cost (and sometimes free) veterinary care to all our animals to ensure that they are healthy and robust. Finally, we have professional animal behavioral staff on our team to see that the animals feel safe, comfortable, and have plenty of enrichment opportunities to engage their minds.

With “Conservation Through Education” as our goal, our weekdays are spent providing summer camps for kids, school field trips, as well as onsite and offsite visits. On the weekends, we are open to the public and feature different educational presentations on our Stone Stage each month. Visitors to our weekend Open Hours get a more close-up view of our animals and have plenty of opportunities to speak directly with our zookeepers, which is something that makes us unique. We also provide fun, interactive programming events throughout the year for people of all ages. No matter what kind of program we offer, an educational component is always threaded throughout to provide our visitors with a rich experience that we hope will positively impact their lives and the world.