Animal Helpers: Sanctuaries

Animal Helpers: Sanctuaries
by Jennifer Keats Curtis
32 pages, ages 4-9
Sylvan Dell, 2013

Some people own wild animals as pets or as part of a performing act. But those cute, cuddly babies grow into big adults with big appetites, and some owners find they can't afford their "exotic pets".

What happens to these animals? They can't survive in the wild because they are too used to people taking care of them. "Luckily, there are sanctuaries, rescue zoos, and even care farms that rescue these animals and provide safe, permanent homes," writes Jennifer Curtis. She dedicates the pages of this book to the stories about animal rescuers and the animals they save.

There's Lilly and Titan, tigers rescued by the Wildcat Sanctuary. And Kiki, a Canadian lynx that no longer has her claws. Not only that, her owners filed her teeth so they wouldn't be sharp. Without teeth and claws, how's a lynx to survive in the wild? Fortunately she's found a home in a rescue zoo.

Curtis shows the different kinds of care that rescue sanctuaries offer, from medical treatment to games and fun. She also shows the many kinds of jobs that people do at animal sanctuaries. At the end of the book she includes four pages of activities, including "enrichment" activities for bored animals in a cage.

This post is part of STEM Friday round-up and, on Monday, part of the Nonfiction Monday round-up over at Perogies & Goyza.  Review copy provided by publisher.