Southern Florida Wildlife Rehab Center

Saturday I had the privilege to visit the Southern Florida Wildlife Rehab Center(SFWRC), managed in it's entirely by a passionate elderly German gentleman named Dirk, who dedicates his life to helping/saving/caring for wild animals in need. It was a touching experience.
The SFWRC is a non-profit organization dedicated to receiving and caring for all species of injured, neglected and abused wildlife, regardless of the cost for their care. Every effort is made to return the animals to their natural habitat, but many are not able to survive without assistance. Dirk's organization provides a safe environment for these, mostly exotic and endangered animals to live out the remainder of their lives without fear of abuse.
The SFWRC receives no government funding and are entirely dependant on private and corporate donations. There are Bengal tigers, rare Florida panthers and pumas, exotic birds and monkeys, reptiles, jaguars and other cats, and even a lion, an African leopard and a lynx or "rooikat". Their stories are mostly very sad and some of these magnificent animals are terribly scarred and have been subject to much abuse at the hands of drug dealers, animal dealers, collectors, small rich men trying to prove themselves, and other human animals.

Pic (top): a Great pic of Dirk with one of his Bengal tigers. He has gained the animals trust and walks freely in most of the big cats' cages. This specific tiger grew up in a circus and is tame.