A new bill in California aimed at limiting human interaction with captive wild animals is raising concerns for Project Survival’s Cat Haven, a renowned wild cat sanctuary in Fresno County.
Assembly Bill 892 (AB 892), if passed, could significantly restrict the type of hands-on educational experiences that Cat Haven, a facility known for its up-close encounters with exotic wild cats, has provided since its founding in 1993. Located in Dunlap, Cat Haven sits on 93 acres and is home to some of the world’s rarest feline species, including caracals and servals, both of which are specifically mentioned in AB 892.
Dale Anderson, the sanctuary’s founder, traveled to Sacramento earlier this week to attend a legislative committee hearing on the bill, though the meeting was postponed just hours before it was scheduled. Lawmakers later stated the hearing had been delayed to allow time for refining the bill’s language, which is now being restructured into a two-year bill, providing more time for stakeholder input.
Despite the delay, Anderson remains concerned about how AB 892’s restrictions could impact Cat Haven’s mission. “It’s just a sad situation,” Anderson said. “I want to inspire kids to help in conservation. The way you do that is get animals out there and have people have experiences.”
Cat Haven is home to Inira and Luna, its resident caracals, and Sikia, Bahati, and Zuri, its servals. The sanctuary offers visitors a rare opportunity to observe these animals up close, which Anderson believes is a vital part of their conservation efforts. He argues that this experience goes far beyond what traditional zoos can offer.
Under AB 892, certain types of public interactions with wild animals would be prohibited. While the bill includes exemptions for facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Cat Haven is affiliated with the Animal Humane organization and would not qualify for this exemption. Anderson fears the bill could prevent the sanctuary from continuing its educational programs, making it difficult to inspire future conservationists.
“If you can’t do that anymore, it’s going to be really hard to inspire a kid here in the Central Valley to care about a serval from Africa,” he explained.
In addition to housing caracals and servals, Cat Haven is the only facility in the world to house all five big-bodied wild cat species—lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, and snow leopard—at the same location. Thanks to a dedicated team with over two decades of experience, Anderson says the cats at the sanctuary live up to twice as long as they would in the wild.
“I think we’ve made a significant impact with what goes on with wild cats,” Anderson said. “So not having that available—I think it’s a loss for the whole world, and especially our community.”
As AB 892 continues to evolve, Anderson hopes lawmakers will take into account the importance of educational facilities like Cat Haven, which play a crucial role in inspiring the next generation of conservationists, particularly in the Central Valley.
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