If you’ve got a love for the wild side, then you’ve gotta check out this beautiful wildlife sanctuary in Atlanta: the Yellow River Wildlife Sanctuary.
What animals does Yellow River Wildlife Sanctuary have?
They’ve got a whole host of animals to see at Yellow River! While you’re there you can see:
- rabbits
- black bears
- fallow deer
- lynx
- gray wolves
- pot-bellied pigs
- vultures
- lemurs
- coyotes
- bison
- spider monkeys
- wallabies
- great horned owls
- kinkajou
- sloths
- servals
And SO many more. See the whole animal list (along with bios, facts and the animal’s names) here!
And the best part: they do wildlife encounters with many of the animals, including feeding time with their adorable two-toed sloths! Learn more about their wildlife encounters here!
Yellow River Wildlife Sanctuary has a pretty fascinating history
With roots that go pretty deep, the sanctuary began as the Yellow River Game Ranch in 1962. At that time, it was the first-of-its-kind establishment in Gwinnett County, and worked to provide a home for injured and orphaned wildlife, as well as a place where hundreds of families came to interact with deer, rabbits, goats and more.
But in 2018, the establishment had to close down. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources began to re-home the animals that had been living there, leaving the bison, pigs, vultures, turtles and the bears to be cared for by dedicated volunteers. And that’s when current owners Katy and Jonathan Ordway swooped in to help.
Johnathan contacted the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and with his dedication to keeping and saving wildlife, inquired about buying the whole establishment.
He says,
We purchased the Game Ranch and began envisioning what we could do to provide the resident animals with the best life possible. Major improvements to the property were top priority, the most notable was creating a two-acre bear enclosure complete with a pond, waterfall and night house. We also built strong relationships with fellow sanctuaries, Zoo Atlanta and many wonderful rehabbers.
Yellow River’s mission is to benefit animals and educate humans. They say,
Our vision is to provide unreleasable wildlife with life-long homes in an environment that successfully meets their physiological and psychological needs. Our mission is to provide education to our community on the importance of caring for wildlife and their natural habitats.
Details about Yellow River Wildlife Sanctuary
The sanctuary is located in central Gwinnett alongside the Yellow River, just minutes from Stone Mountain Park.
Address: 4525 US Highway 78, Lilburn, Georgia 30047
To learn more or purchase your tickets ahead of time, head to their website here!
Don’t miss out on this amazing animal sanctuary, just outside of Atlanta!