We are thankful

• Because of you, we are able to continue to care for the rescued animals at the sanctuary.
• Because of you, we are still able to assist animals in need – regardless of the pandemic.

At Forest Animal Rescue, we are blessed to have such a dedicated, extended ‘family’

We will continue, we will get through this

Together, we will all make it through another year. We are resilient, we are strong, and we are determined.

Thanks to you, there are more rescues underway. Wild animals are being confiscated from situations of abuse and neglect and they still need a place to live the rest of their lives. We will be here for them. Stay tuned for updates as we move forward with these rescues.

Meanwhile, stay safe and enjoy this time with family and friends. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Another fantastic article by our local newspaper. They researched the entire article and even have a quote from Bob Barker himself!

http://www.ocala.com/news/20170901/price-is-right-for-new-animal-building

We are so excited to start construction – everything has been waiting on this permit – but we had ‘stalled’ in our fundraising due to the uncertain timing of the project. Now the contractor is moving ahead quickly and we don’t want to stop construction while we raise money!

Will you join Mr Barker in supporting the sanctuary and help complete the project?

We need to keep the donations coming in as fast as our contractor can build! 

Donate Now

If you prefer, your tax-deductible gift can be mailed to:

Forest Animal Rescue
640 NE 170th Ct.
Silver Springs, FL 34488

The painful waiting game is finally over. After a tedious process of designing the building, followed by 8 1/2 months struggling through red tape to obtain the Marion County building permit, we are finally allowed to build!

We brought in fill, cleared trees, built up our driveway, moved our access gates and continued planning, but we couldn’t start construction until the permit was approved. The minute we were allowed, we couldn’t wait to break ground.

The construction has been underway for only 4 weeks and look how far along we are already!

Recent newspaper article includes a quote from Bob Barker himself!

We are so excited to start construction – everything has been waiting on this permit – but we had ‘stalled’ in our fundraising due to the uncertain timing of the project. Now the contractor is moving ahead quickly and we don’t want to stop construction while we raise money!

Will you join Mr Barker in supporting the sanctuary and help complete the project?

We need to keep the donations coming in as fast as our contractor can build! 

Donate Now

If you prefer, your tax-deductible gift can be mailed to:

Forest Animal Rescue
640 NE 170th Ct.
Silver Springs, FL 34488

From the beginning:

The Bob Barker Animal Care Building will ensure continuing high standards of veterinary and nutritional care for the animals at Forest Animal Rescue as the sanctuary continues to grow. With the improved capacity for care, the sanctuary will be able to accept even the tiniest, most fragile orphaned bear cubs for rehabilitation and release – while maintaining our high standards of care for the sanctuary’s 100+ nonreleasable rescued animals. It will also provide more working space for our interns, local and international volunteers as they learn proper methods of caring for wild animals in captivity.

In 2016, retired game show host, Bob Barker approved a $100,000 gift from his foundation to set the project in motion. We immediately began the design and planning process, but nothing seems to ever go smoothly the first time.

When we submitted our final design to the Marion County Building Department we discovered that we would need to revise our special use permit, requiring public zoning hearings and even more time. Revisions to the plans were repeatedly submitted, rejected, resubmitted…we were pulling our hair out…

Finally – Marion County hired Jeffrey Camden as the Building Department Director. Brand new on the job, we asked him to look at our project – The permit was approved that day!

The article is called “On the Wild Side” and can be read online or in their April issue at Ocala area businesses.

The article focuses on three animal facilities in Marion County – read all the way to the end to see what she says about Forest Animal Rescue.

Thank you JoAnn Guidry for writing such a nice article!

Since their arrival at Forest Animal Rescue just before Christmas, Cody and Oatmeal have been playing nonstop. They are incredibly happy with their new home in sunny Florida…and they haven’t even experienced the best part yet!

They are loving their pool, climbing platform and the ball that we gave them, but they will soon be out of their quarantine habitat and into a wooded 4-acre compound with three other black bears, Dolly, Elizabeth Rose and B-Bear!

Would you like to volunteer with us to help finish the last few habitat adjustments so they can go out and play in the woods? Here is how you can GET INVOLVED

Would you like to help us to BUY MORE TOYS so they can each have their very own long-lasting ball? We have raised much of the money already, but need your help to pay for everything.

Will you help us to buy toys for them?

Juanita already showed us how much she enjoys the ball we gave her, but it has seen better days and she doesn’t like to share…

We need six new toys for six new animals – they are made of special material to ensure they are safe and will provide many years of enjoyment and rough handling.

Luckily, this little bear won’t be in captivity long. She was captured in a backyard by FWC, near too many humans…in a place that was not the best for bears.

She came to us for evaluation and will be ready to go soon! She is being held in our rehabilitation area, far from any human activity. She is prevented from seeing people while she is at our sanctuary.

Poor little Faye was old enough to be on her own, but was covered in ticks and parasites – she was anemic from that struggle. We gave her an extra boost of deworming and a little time to gain strength. Faye is scheduled to be released after the hog hunting is finished next week.

This adorable bear is lucky – even though she was captured in a neighborhood, she is still properly afraid of humans and since she is so young, she hasn’t had a chance to establish her own territory.

That works wonderfully for her because she can be set free in a more appropriate place in Florida, far away from humans, without the risk of her returning to the same place to discover people’s trash and learning to become a nuisance bear.

November 26 – December 3, 2016

4:00pm-8:00pm each evening at the Grand Oaks

Visit event page for more details

Vote for our tree (#20 in the People’s Choice Awards) to help the animals

What’s on our Tree?

$6,773 in value!

It includes an african Safari for two and more!

• Zulu Nyala, South Africa $5,950 6 day/6 night African Safari for two Including meals and game drives (exp 12/3/18)
• Starbucks The Villages $113 Cold Cups, mugs, coffee, tea and more
• City Fire The Villages $100 Gift card
• Lighthouse Point Bar & Grille The Villages $50 Gift card
• Blu Spoon Self Serve Yogurt The Villages Buy 1 get 1 free (x10)
• Outback Steakhouse The Villages $44 Gift cards, 2 free Bloomin’ Onions and a free appetizer
• Johnny Rockets Lady Lake Buy 1 get 1 free entrée of your choice (x6)
• Jersey Mike’s Lady Lake $37 5 Free regular subs
• Bear Dance Boutique The Villages $25 Gift certificate
• Carrabba’s Italian Grill The Villages $25 Gift card
• Amerikanós Grille The Villages $20 gift cards
• Ambrosia on the Square The Villages $11 Gift certificate plus Plus 20% discount
• The Purple Pig The Villages $5 Gift Certificate
• Value of tree & decorations $308