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| Last updated on December 29, 2007 |
Our mission is to positively impact our environment through the education of Hawaii's children into the natural world. Our goal is to assist in the development of an environmentally responsible generation of youth. We are licensed to rehabilitate and possess endangered species, allowing us to teach about the fragile ecosystem we impact on a daily basis, while giving children a very rare chance to see the animals up close. All of our resident animals (over 75) will live out their natural lives at the facility. Those with injuries are here to heal and be released when they are able. We will respect and nurture those who live here knowing that first and foremost it is their home and we are the guests.
Detail
We are licensed as a USDA facility for exhibit purposes yet we will never be open to the general public as a zoo because of the undue stress it would bring to the animals. Class visits are limited to once or twice a month. Our 501 c 3 status is based on education and that remains a major goal of the Sanctuary. For each individual creature we can save and return to the wild it means everything to that one animal but for each child we can teach to respect and perhaps go into a field of animal science we have saved many more. By training interns and mentoring those youth interested in becoming animal caretakers we create our next generation of animal advocates.
Description:
The Three Ring Ranch is Hawaii's only exotic animal sanctuary. We rehabilitate and return to the wild Hawaii's native species and offer a lifetime home to the exotics others have brought into the State.
As a true sanctuary, our facility will never be open to the general public. Keeping the animals in an environment as free from stress and hazards as possible is our goal. However, in order to share these animals with our community, we have created an educational program for school children.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
Nowhere else in the State and possibly in the United States, is there a facility that gives children the opportunity to interact first with the resident animals and then to make an active change in the environment in which they live. In Hawaii there are more species becoming extinct and at a faster rate then anywhere else. Children leave our program with an understanding of animal communication and a sense of where we as humans fit into the world around us. These children have developed a respect and sense of wonder for creatures that they, without sanctuaries like ours, may never see again. They become active partners in conservation.
Our educational program begins within the children's classroom (there is no fee) where I teach several two-hour classes. After the classroom instruction the children come to the sanctuary for the final lecture. They are introduced to the zebra, oryx, nene, pueo, cranes, flamingos and other ranch residents. Their body language expresses excitement yet they remember how to greet the animals on their own terms and move slowly. The animals respond and there are no words to describe the look of wonder when a hand gently strokes a zebra's neck. They understand the burden we share to care for Hawaii and all living things that share this island. They know how to help and by becoming aware of the life around them they become kinder, more caring, better citizens.
History:
The Three Ring Ranch is the name of our private sanctuary located on five acres above the town of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. Founded in 1998, it is the culmination of a lifelong dream to work with animals. We started out very small and our first hurdle was to obtain the licenses and permits necessary to operate in Hawaii. While there are many exotic animals needing sanctuary in Hawaii, the State Department of Agriculture is very cautious about issuing possession permits. In the past Hawaii has had animals escape into its fragile ecosystem as well as problems when permit holders suddenly became unable to care for their animals. After multiple hearings before the State Department of Agriculture and in-depth discussions and interviews we were granted the permits to possess a wide range of animal species.
Our facility is licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture as well as the applicable State and County agencies. We hold Federal Wildlife permits for rehabilitation and possession of raptors and endangered species. We do not breed animals.
Contact people:
Office fax number: (866) 365-5097
Address:
 |
75-809 Keaolani Dr.
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
(See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.threeringranch.org
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