Wildlife sanctuaries care for animals that cannot survive in the wild due to injury, imprinting or habituation. Sanctuary welfare standards determine whether these animals live well or merely survive in captivity.
Sanctuary welfare quality spans an enormous range - from world-class facilities providing species-appropriate environments and expert care, to poorly managed operations that keep wild animals in inadequate conditions while claiming welfare credentials. A genuinely welfare-positive sanctuary allows animals to express natural behaviour, provides veterinary care, does not allow public contact with wild animals, does not breed for trade, and makes honest quality-of-life assessments for resident animals. The most important welfare decisions in sanctuary management are often the hardest: whether to maintain life for animals in poor welfare states, or to provide humane euthanasia rather than extended suffering in inadequate captivity.