About McCarthy’s Wildlife Sanctuary

Career highlights past and present

Established in 1990, McCarthy’s Wildlife Sanctuary cares for more than 200 animals, including dozens of large cats such as white tigers, black leopards, ligers, and amur leopards. Spread across 8 acres of palmetto and pine forest in West Palm Beach, Florida, the facility has taken in more than 4,000 injured animals over the years. Additionally, McCarthy’s Wildlife Sanctuary has conducted thousands of educational programs that have reached more than half a million South Florida students.

Owner Mark McCarthy has five decades of experience working with animals, including a position as a reptile keeper at the venom research lab in the Miami Serpentarium. He has studied wildlife worldwide, including in remote locations in the Galapagos Islands and Tanzania. He lives on site at the West Palm Beach sanctuary to ensure the safety of the animals around the clock.

In addition to taking in injured wild animals, the sanctuary accepts exotic animals from pet owners who can no longer care for them. Many animal residents are donations from wildlife officers who confiscated the pets from unsafe or abusive homes.