carolina tiger rescue

I live in NC and honestly this is my favorite place her in North Carolina. It is a WONDERFUL experience. Try to go on a nice day and most will be out and it will be more comfortable to walk around.

I visited the rescue as volunteer on a service trip where we assisted with various tasks around the rescue. We got to spend time with the people who work there and also got a tour at the end of the week. From spending time there, we got to learn how knowledgeable everyone who works there is and how much they want to educate the public. On our tour we learned how connected they are as a rescue to the many other organizations in the world working on rehabilitating many of these species. Many places will allow you to see and maybe even hold wild animals with no regard to their well being. This rescue is one of those that cares and that why I recommend it. You will still get to be up close and personal with the big cats, but you'll also get to learn why places like this exist, what they're doing to help each cat, and how your donation will help them in their goals.One thing I will mention is that the route of the tour is over dirt roads & grass. If you need wheelchair access, I would leave it up to your discretion as to whether you think you can traverse that.If you, or someone you know, loves animals or big cats, this is a tour that you or they will highly enjoy. Not to mention the gift shop is full of their awesome logo!

The Carolina Tiger Rescue is such an amazing organization. Their goal is to give these cats the best possible life they can after many of them came from some horrible situations.

This tour is well worth the money...about $17. You will see small cats and very large cats on this 50+ acre site. Guides provide detailed information and can answer any questions. To get the cats near the fence, they provide chicken legs to them on long poles. On lion actually broke the pole while grabbing the chicken. You'll be within 6 feet of the fence....but don't reach across the rope or they can reach you ! Tigers were really impressive. Can not believe how huge they are until you are that close. Small enclosures are in key locations for visitors are available in the event any cat escapes its fenced area while you are on the tour.This is a must see.

This place is a great service to animals that should never have been a homeowners pet and were discarded when they became to large. They staff is very knowledgeable and lets you know the history of the tiger or lion. They have great homes now and are able to live their lives out safely and comfortably. They work on donations and its a non profit organization. Great day trip with the family to see everything from Lions and Tigers to smaller cats like Linx and Caracals. Worth the visit!

That in little ole Pittsboro we have souls with big hearts caring for abandoned cats. Not just any cats mind you! The big Lion, Tigers but no bears oh my! Love this amazing place.

This place is so much fun to visit. The big and not so big cats are housed in individual large fenced off areas that you can approach quite closely -- close enough that a tiger can spray you with its Frito-smelling spray. Who knew? (There is enough warning to get out of the way if you're nimble.) There are many tigers, some lions, and a selection of just about every other kind of wild carnivore in the US. A tour takes at least a couple of hours of gentle walking, and the guides I've been with have given very helpful and interesting talks. A little known treasure.

Wonderful work making a good life for these animals. Worth a visit. Buy tickets in advance for tours. Staff helpful and informative.

Our guide was knowledgeable as well as engaging. Jess seemed enjoy what she does and shared that enthusiasm with the group. She would time it perfectly so we could enjoy the cats as well as be able to hear her stories about the animal or the species. I enjoyed that fact that I was able to learn a lot about not only the species, but also the specific cats from their history to their current health status. Also, being out in the open, Jess spoke loudly so we all could hear as well as repeated questions before answering.

This is an amazingly well "thought-through" animal sanctuary for large cats. The animals have plenty of room to roam, with at least two "pens." All seemed to be content - well, except for "Star" - the nervous cougar:-) Our tour guide was wonderful and knowledgeable and we came away with such appreciation for the volunteers and staff who take such good care of these animals. We had a very enjoyable visit!

This was a wonderful adventure! The facility is devoted to the humane care of mainly big cats who have been abused in some way or who need special care. The tour, which is very educational, allows you to get up close and personal with the cats - behind a fence, of course! The tour guides are very knowledgeable about the cats and are open to questions from the group. We had our two young granddaughters with us and the program/tour was appropriate for them. Definitely worth visiting!

This is a big-cat rescue sanctuary, with many different species (not just tigers). All of the folks working or volunteering there are clearly passionate about these animals. The tour of the property and the many habitats was led by a volunteer docent, and was both interesting and moving. We were able to see many different animals up-close, and hear the stories of how they wound up there. We were so inspired that we became members, even though we live nowhere near North Carolina. Most definitely worth the trip!

I've been to Carolina Tiger twice (not super-recently; I just happened to be going over my TripAdvisor reviews and realized I hadn't written about it). I am so impressed with the care they give these beautiful animals and with the education they provide for the public. Follow them on Facebook, and you'll see how devoted the staff are to the tigers, bobcats, lions, and other creatues. This is not one of those places where you leave feeling sorry for the residents--instead, you think how fortunate they are to have been rescued from their often-difficult previous situations and to be living out their lives where they are truly respected and understood. The tours are very interesting--do reserve in advance, as they are popular.

We visited the rescue mission on the July 4th weekend. Tours were filling quickly earlier in the week and we ended up on a twilight tour which is restricted to adults and teens over thirteen which meant my sister and her family couldn't join us. The mission is located on an old farm near Pittsboro about a 40 minute drive from Durham. The website says to follow their directions and not use your GPS. We did this and had no trouble finding the place. The tour consisted of about 25 people and started with a presentation about the history and current mission. Our tour guide Anne was informative and entertaining. She was able to answer most of the questions posed to her and our group had a fair amount. We were able to see a bobcat, serval, ocelots, a white tiger, Bengal tigers and lions. The animals you see depends on which ones are out and near the front of their enclosures and which ones the staff has determined are up to having a group near their enclosure as this is not a zoo and the animals have been rescued from some pretty traumatic situations. The rescue is there for the benefit of the animals and not the humans. In addition to information about the animals, the guide also tells you the story of how the animals came to the rescue mission, some of which are pretty heart breaking. The time flew by and before we knew it the two hours were up. Be advised that there is a fair amount of walking and the ground is un even. The paths are not paved in anyway. We have been to a similar rescue in Tampa, Florida and we didn't see the variety of cats here as we did there but that is not the point. Being early July it was still daylight for most of our tour and the cats were not very active yet and were just starting to get vocal as the tour wrapped up but again, that is not the point. You are here to view the animals in as natural environment as possible, the staff does nothing to encourage the animals to perform, if they feel like coming out and being vocal they will. You won't see the cats pacing and panting which are signs of stress like you do in a zoo. The tour concludes with a pitch of how you can continue to support the care of these cats as the admission price only covers about ten percent of what it costs to care for and feed them but it is not a high pressure pitch. I highly recommend this tour if you understand the mission of the rescue and that this is not a zoo and you may not see as many animals as you would wish.

This is an amazing place to visit. The name is a little misleading as the rescue has more than just tigers. It has many animals that I never heard of until my visit like caracals, servals, ocelots, binturongs, and kinkajous. There are also the tigers, lions, bobcats, and cougars that are better known.The Carolina Tiger Rescue is different than a zoo. These animals were rescued from somewhere and need a place to live. Some were rescued from folks that thought these animals would make a good pet and then realized differently as the animals grew.The rescue truly cares for these animals and provides as close to a natural habitat as possible. The animals have large areas to roam. Also unlike a zoo you get a really close up experience although at a safe distance. Visitors must take a scheduled guided tour and the tour group is about 24 people with two volunteer tour guides that tell the histories of these animals and more about the animal. The tour takes around two hours as you walk around the compound on unpaved and uneven ground. The tours also run rain or shine.Tickets do sell out and are $17 for adults. They offer memberships though and you can visit as much as you'd like. Memberships for one are $50 but there are family memberships too. They also offer Twilight Tours for $26.50 when the animals are to be more active.If you are in the Pittsboro area or just wanting a day trip from the surrounding areas I highly recommend visiting the Carolina Tiger Rescue!