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History
The Ellijay
Wildlife Rehabilitation Sanctuary is a 50-acre facility that medically
cares for all species of orphaned and injured wildlife
indigenous to Georgia and the southeast. It began 30 years ago when a
young boy named Craig Cylke began rescuing and caring for injured
animals that he found in the wild. It wasn’t long before the
surrounding community learned that Craig would take care of any wild
animals in need that were brought to him. Today, the sanctuary is a
state and federally licensed facility that remains under the guidance
of Craig and his wife, Debbie who are both certified in wildlife
rehabilitation.
Six years ago,
the sanctuary achieved 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and began to offer
outdoor education and summer camp programs to serve the people of the
community. To date, the sanctuary’s dedicated staff has educated over
100,000 children and adults through on-site course offerings, summer
camps, and mobile education programs. It is their hope that through
environmental education, schools, churches, civic groups and families
will come to learn about the “Circle of Life” –realizing that if we
all help to take care of "mother nature,” she in turn will take care
of us.
Our
Mission
Our mission is to promote not only the
protection of wildlife and habitat, but also the importance of
conservation issues as they relate to the quality of human life. To
accomplish this, we strive to achieve the following objectives:
- To help preserve the delicate balance of
local ecosystems and minimize man’s negative impact on area
wildlife, we medically care for orphaned and injured indigenous
animals and prepare them for release back into the wild. When
release is not possible, we provide appropriate habitat areas for
them to live the rest of their lives in safety and comfort. These
animals are then shared through our education programs.
- To provide the youth and adults of our
community with hands-on educational and recreational experiences
that will foster a lifetime of care and respect for America’s
wildlife and natural resources.
- To help save the Eastern Panther from
imminent extinction by housing the premier captive breeding and
research facility in the country and by working toward repopulating
this species in appropriate wilderness areas throughout the east.
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