Miscellany: McCarthy's Wildlife Sanctuary review

I've lived in South Florida for years, but had never heard of McCarthy's Wildlife Sanctuary until I looked it up on Trip Advisor. In some ways, it's understandable - McCarthy's is a small, nonprofit wildlife shelter nestled in the Acreage, Florida, and it doesn't have the advertising budget of a place like Lion Country Safari. With beautiful animals like this, though, you wonder why McCarthy's doesn't get more press:



The director, Mark McCarthy, has been raising animals for decades, and he has brought a huge assortment of them to McCarthy's. Many are former exotic pets abandoned by their owners, or transfers from other facilities, like these two tiger cubs:



Our visit went off without a hitch. After we arrived at the gate, two friendly guides escorted us through the refuge (visitors are accompanied at all times). The guides took their time in describing each of the shelter's residents, and didn't balk at answering our questions.

While the shelter houses many animals, including reptiles, birds, and primates, the stars of the show are the big cats. Guests are separated from the cages by roped partitions, but the guides get right up the fences to coax the tigers closer, so that you get a good look at them. It's not something you see every day: