AnimO is an educational exotics sanctuary where we take in and care for exotic animals while we focus on teaching people the difference between exotic and domesticated animals in hopes that people can make better decisions when choosing a pet. We also take in domesticated animals on death row to rehabilitate and train to be good house pets, and train dogs to be therapy dogs or emotional support dogs to try to tackle the issue of lack of mental health care in Japan.
Her Mission
AnimO’s primary mission has two parts. The first is to rescue exotic animals from the pet trade and euthanasia, to rehabilitate them if need be, and to give them lifetime sanctuary. The other is to educate people about the difference between domestic and exotic animals. The reality is that exotic “pets” have not gone through the domestication process enough to thrive in life in captivity. Exotic animals have adapted to live in very specific conditions which we cannot provide them, therefore keeping them as pets and depriving them of their basic needs is abuse. We want to help people make better choices about bringing home a pet.
Since it’s not possible for captive-bred animals to be returned to the wild, we try to replicate their natural habitat as closely as possible and provide enough enrichment for them to live a quality life.
AnimO’s secondary mission is wildlife rehabilitation/release and repopulation.
Location: Togane, Chiba - Japan
