The big cats are absolutely magnificent. The most magnificent of them all were the two panthers, who unfortunately had a small cage with concrete floor covered with large gravel stone and a small pool of moldy water that looked like it hadn't been cleaned in weeks. Some mulch to sleep on and some clean water is not too much to ask for these magnificent animals. They slept during the entire three hours that I visited and I suspect were very depressed. The fact that a new panther enclosure is currently under construction does not change the fact that these two magnificent animals were not being well treated. Please consider providing some shelter and more natural habitat in the new panther enclosure so these animals have the privacy and quiet they need being sited right next to the food court. They are not a museum painting; they are living sentient creatures that in some ways are superior to the humans. read more

Really enjoyed our trip here. I don't want to compare this place to a zoo but let me...it's not. These animals you can tell are happy. They know the staff walking around and you can tell their personalities. The animals were having fun with their toys and were well taken care of. We fed the lions and bears and these animals took food off of the sticks so gently. These normal encounters felt like you were so close to them. Such beautiful animals. Really worth a visit. read more

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Calling this place a "sanctuary" feels incredibly misleading. A true sanctuary exists to provide animals with a safe, natural environment and does not use them as entertainment for paying visitors. Watching lions and other big cats perform in shows was upsetting. These are powerful wild animals, not domesticated pets. Big cats do not naturally follow commands or perform tricks for humans. To get them to behave this way, trainers typically rely on intensive conditioning, deprivation, fear, punishment, or other coercive methods. Even when facilities claim their training is "positive," the reality is that wild animals don't voluntarily choose to perform choreographed routines for crowds. Seeing animals that should be roaming, hunting, resting, and exhibiting natural behaviors instead being made to perform for applause felt wrong. The show may be entertaining to some visitors, but it comes at the expense of the animals' dignity and well-being. If you genuinely care about wildlife conservation and animal welfare, I would encourage you to support facilities that rescue animals without breeding, exploiting, or using them in performances. I left feeling disappointed and saddened by what I saw. read more

Great place for the kids and animals. Much better than most of the zoos I have been to and a much more intimate experience. read more

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Been here before but it was the 1st time we caught the bird show and the cat show. They are a must! The children of the original animal trainer, Kay, continue the tradition of entertaining and teaching. We were told that the big cats are trained the way we teach our pets (and kids): repetition, reward, positive reinforcement. On our 1st trip, we bought a close up animal encounter with the caracals. Amazing. Pricey but worth it. The fee allowed 4 of us to have this experience. (Price is NOT per person.) There's something for everyone: petting zoo,pony rides, primates, bison, lions, and tigers and bears. Oh my! A fun-filled day! read more

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We took our daughter and son in law yesterday - first time for all of us. Absolutely loved it!! So much fun and very well kept up. We ended up buying an annual pass. Can't wait to go again . read more

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Nice way to spend a couple of hours viewing the beautiful animals. The shows were informative and the staff seemed to really care about the rescued animal. Even though they said it was 20 acres, the animals appeared to be crowded together. read more

I was skeptical about patronizing this rehabilitation center. But are the animals really being rehabilitated or are they in prison for profit? I visited with a friend and her two kids. The first thing I noticed is those animals were in pretty small habitats when they naturally like large areas to roam. Then I noticed a native Florida panther in obvious distress and was screaming. Of course a bunch of people made it worse when they crowded around the panthers prison cell and made him more anxious. I chose to stand back and give the wild animal some space. Sad seeing a a helpless animal in distress. The bird show was entertaining and the lady doing the show was wonderful. But the exotic animal show was a bust. It was filled with propaganda about peta coming after them or something of that nature. There was a lot of it. And you had to sit there and listen to it because they showed the tigers etc at the end of their 30 min rant. It was tiring. I had to get up and walk out. There was also a long video they played that you had to watch and it was about who you should and shouldn't donate money to. That was pretty brutal to sit thru and everyone was yawning. Plz consider your animals' psychological health. They have brains too and are intelligent on a different level. read more

We really enjoyed our visit to Big Cat Habitat especially the petting zoo. We fed bears and tigers and saw many big cats as well as other animals. read more

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Fun place to visit, very generous admission fee. Animal encounters are hella expensive. Spent a couple hours there, enjoyed our time. Staff were very nice. read more

The entire experience was amazing! Establishment was very clean and the animals are very well taken care of and happy! We will be visiting again and again. read more

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Awesome place. They seem to really take care of the animals despite what some crazy animal activists say. You can actually hold the baby alligator here, feed the tigers and get a picture with the tiger (he is in a crate but for a very short time and gets treats after each pic). Accepts credit cards but bring cash for the extras like the pic opportunities. Will definitely be back. Oh and don't scare the alligator like I did, went to pet him after pic was done and he rightfully took it as aggression reaching around him. Felt bad about that for the poor little guy! read more

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This was such a disappointment. Their website makes it sound like it's a sanctuary but it's not. They have big cats performing tricks in a show like jumping through a hoop. The bear enclosure is really small and sad. They also had a mandrill and I think some monkeys in cages that were just slabs of cement surrounded by metal fencing. It was clean but we have to expect more of places. They're not accredited by the AZA. Sad that Florida allows animals to be in situations like this. Just because it's better than the situation they were in doesn't mean it's good enough. read more

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I can't believe they frame this place as a "sanctuary." The animals are abused, panting, and exhausted in their tiny enclosures while being demanded to perform tricks for the crowd. It is a horrific scene to witness, and a huge waste of money. I hope those animals can all be returned to their true home and experience freedom again someday. So cruel. read more

Animal enclosure contain very little opportunity for enrichment. Carnival barkers make it hard to enjoy. Dusty and low rent with very overpriced concessions. $10 funnel cakes. read more

Animals were in small enclosures. I asked where the animals came from and multiple volunteers told me they came from exotic animal breeders. I felt bad for the animals. read more

Great place. They care about their animals and take good care of them. Employee are very friendly and accommodating. Big cat show was the best! Will return with friends and family! read more

We were pleasantly surprised by the size of the enclosures for the animals and the number of animals we were able to see. It appeared that children really enjoyed feeding the bears and the tigers. members were all very friendly and kind. We will visit again and bring family and friends. read more

Don't be fooled. This is NOT a sanctuary for animals. There's no evidence of conservation efforts or rehabilitation for the animals. It's unclear how this could even be non-profit as it appears to be all about up-charging you (paying to feed bears and tigers with a stick). This facility is dirty and sad. The animals look in distress and it's absolutely heartbreaking. read more

It's funny place to spend the weekend with kids There's a lot of animals our kids love this place. Highly recommended. read more

Big Cat Habitat - Zoos Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Place is well maintained and the animals are healthy. Bravo. It's not a zoo. This is a rescue facility .

I loved seeing all the animals. the son of the lady who runs this place is corney he talks to much, so much that you lose interest and start falling asleep. other then that everyone was kind very informational. I do think, that more tigers and lions be on display and not in the backgroun, where you have to squint to see them. read more

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Nice place to visit once. Big cat show could be more informative. Bathroom are disgusting, need to be cleaned and fixed. Nice to see what they are doing for the animals. read more

Big Cat Habitat - Zoos Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Great, quintessential Florida experience. I feel so lucky that they are in my hometown. They love their animals and they share their beloved animals, letting you get up close and personal with them. We did the capybara encounter and it was even better than we expected! We also learned a lot about the animals. read more

Mostly good with a good variety of animals to view, but avoid the Variety show because it is 20 minutes of talking to sell the causes of the Big Cat Habitat followed by a few minutes of tricks by one cat. The children in the audience, including our grandchildren, were uncomfortable sitting through all the talking. Inappropriate. read more

The place is clean and staff very informative. Animals are well cared for with large enclosures. It's a great little zoo and priced very reasonably. Free for Vets is a great plus. My 10 yr old loved the shows as well. read more

Amazing animal encounter right here in Sarasota... The interaction available with the lions tigers and bears was great!! My only negative was the 'Big Cat show at 2 pm"..... way toooooo long to get the lions out... 20 minutes of talking... you lost my 3 grandchildren, 2 fell asleep and the other wanted to leave... disappointing for a finale of what was otherwise a wonderful experience.... They loved feeding the tigers!! Bring the cats out and talk to us while you are showing them off..... there ages are 7 4 and 2 read more

It is a very fun day getting to see all the animals up close. Even got to feed some of them. The show was interesting but the MC spent WAY too much time making stupid jokes and talking about animal preservation. No one wanted to donate to the cause as he wasted too much of their time read more

This is nothing more than a zoo. Big cats in small cages. They say they are happy but several of them were pacing back and forth, sometimes a sign of distress. I never go to Zoos, hate the conditions for the animals. I'm sorry I paid to get upset. read more

DON'T GO...DON'T GO!!!!! I visited Big Cat Habitat recently and was honestly heartbroken and disturbed by what I saw. I left feeling extremely saddened and concerned for all the animals there. Many of the animals appeared underweight and distressed, and all were kept in small, bare enclosures with little or no water at all and no enrichment. The little food I did see (fruit) in the bamboo enclosure was covered with nothing but flies...it was disgusting. What disturbed me most was discovering additional animals farther back on the property, including wolves, that were kept in extremely small enclosures, (some had five and six in one enclosure), away from the main visitor areas. This facility presents itself as a "sanctuary," but what I witnessed felt far from a safe or healthy refuge for these animals. It looked more like a roadside zoo struggling to meet even the most basic standards of animal welfare. They still have shows with lions, tigers and bears, like the circus, where they poke and prod at these poor animals. I went there hoping to support a true sanctuary that properly cares for animals and provides safe, comfortable environments for rescued animals, but unfortunately, what I saw did not reflect that. I understand caring for so many animals can be challenging, but their living conditions were heartbreaking...completely unacceptable. I left feeling sick to my stomach. These animals deserve space, care, and respect -- not to be displayed in such poor conditions. I truly hope authorities investigate and that the management takes immediate steps to improve the animal's living situations--because these beautiful creatures deserve better care and quality of life. Until then, if you love animals, I would strongly recommend researching carefully before supporting, visiting or donating. . Sad to report, A recent visitor to the Big Cat Habitat. read more

The overall park is decent. They have a good variety of big cats and other animals like bears and monkeys. If you go to the big cat show however you should show up a little late. To start the show there is a guy that shows snakes and it makes the show sooooooo slow. Alot of people walked out waiting for the big cats because the snake part is awful. Otherwise, the show is okay. read more

We tried to go but it was closed even though the website says open. We had to call multiple times to speak to a person who gave us a stupid excuse about how they decided to close after opening time. The website and facebook still don't even show they're closed today 45 mins after they were supposed to open. Don't waste your time. read more

I am a practicing veterinarian in south Florida with a special interest in exotics. Because of my interest, I have visited MANY zoo facilities, as well as many private collections around the world. I am incredibly impressed with the level of care, husbandry, enrichment, and just all around knowledge of the owners and their staff. You don't find this kind of passion in a lot of facilities much larger than this one. I was blessed to be allowed to spontaneously examine the entire facility, even behind the scenes. I found ZERO evidence of stress, captive OCD behaviors, illness, or neglect anywhere on the property. This alone is really impressive. I've seen evidence of captive stress in many of the collections I have visited. This facility is a prime example of how exotic animal CAN be successfully kept and placed in the public eye. Children learn passion for species from up close encounters like this one, NOT from books, videos, or zoos where the animals hide all day. I can't wait to visit again. read more

Big Cat Habitat - Zoos Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

So people need to keep this in perspective when they visit... it is a sanctuary. The animals appear to be very well cared for. It is amazing to get such an up close and personal perspective. They are huge! Just wish I could've petted one of the tigers lol but I did get a hold an alligator and that was cool. read more

Big Cat Habitat - Baby alligator! - Zoos Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

This was our first time here and we had a great time. You can tell they really care about their animals. All of the staff interacts so nicely with guests and we learned so much great information! read more

We enjoyed the very large variety of cats to be viewed here. Also other animals birds and even bears! The place was well kept and clean. The bathroom was a newer building no problem there in the men's room at all and my wife said the same. There were opportunities to pay a little extra (like $4 I think) to feed a selected tiger as the caretakers made rounds, we got to give a white tiger pork tenderloin. It was a highlight for us and those passing by. I feel like this zoo gives you a slightly closer view of the tigers which is nice so kids can see them better while remaining very safe. Some of the bad reviews here especially new accounts are completely false or fake. There are no multiple tigers in small cages or whips to be seen for goodness sakes the guy doing the show is pleading for people to understand how animals can live in harmony with people and it is clear the people who work here are quite caring for the animals. I have visited other zoos including one in Tampa and the tiger areas are the same size or larger here and seem more than enough for the types of animals that were rescued and live or were raised here. The tiger and lemur show was cute they leapt for treats and the only whip i saw was the whipped cream on the funnel cake at the snack bar. read more

I really love this place. I have been 5 times. The show they put on of the big cats doing tricks is great. And seeing the size of the cats up close is magnificent. I will go again when I am in the area. read more

I had a great time here. I'm a huge animal lover and these animals looked like they were very well taken care of and happy. Loved watching one of the tigers happily playing with a ball. The big cat show was amazing and loved getting our picture with Berry. read more

Beautiful animals and fun for kids! The 2 shows 1 pm was good the 2 could be more for the animals and less on the talking Great mission for the animals! read more

Today was such a thrill ... to see these beautiful animals up close!!! We walked away with a better understanding as to why habitats like this one are needed. They have 2 shows daily, see big cats and learn why education is a huge part in a successful conservation. FIVE STARS for these heroes! read more

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