About Us

• Responsible captive breeding of selected species.
• Educational programs for fellow professionals and the local community.
• Rescue and placement of animals in need.

Our Vision

The three parts of our mission support each other and help secure our reputation as a leading facility for the care of these species.

Conservation

Conservation breeding is important to maintain species of animals whose survival is threatened by loss of habitat, disease, or unrestricted hunting. Our breeding program supports our educational program, and contributes to the strength of international conservation programs in which we participate.

Education

The education program attracts volunteers and supporters and enlightens the public. We also assist other professionals. For instance, our staff collects data that helps advance understanding of the species in our care.

Sanctuary

Placement and rescue animals provide great educational opportunities. More important, for some animals, we are their home of last resort.

Our History

The Conservators’ Center was founded in 1999 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our population grew slowly from a handful of animals to about 25 at the start of 2004.

We doubled in size in 2004, after the USDA asked us to rescue 14 lions and tigers they seized from a neglectful owner. One tiger and three lions were pregnant. The four cats had a total of 15 babies, who are now fully grown.

Initially our founders, Douglas Evans and Mindy Stinner, managed animal care with the help of volunteers. In 2006 we received funding to hire keepers.

The Conservators’ Center enjoys strong community support, including donated food, rental equipment, veterinary services, and volunteer labor.

We currently care for more than 80 marvelous animals. Our population consists of lions, tigers, leopards, servals, caracals, bobcats, a lynx, jungle cats, wolves, New Guinea singing dogs, binturongs, genets, and kinkajous.

Our Conservation Philosophy

The captive breeding program at the Conservators’ Center is limited to threatened and endangered small carnivores that are not protected by the major zoos’ species protection programs. Some of these animals are not found in zoos because they do not attract crowds. But the visitors and volunteers at the Center find them fascinating.

Our current focus is New Guinea singing dogs and binturongs. We also have pairs of large spotted genets, jungle cats, lions, and servals with the potential for captive breeding.

Offspring from the Center’s animals either stay on site as potential breeding animals, or will be placed at other facilities for educational purposes while remaining in a species protection breeding program network.

The Conservators’ Center never sells animals, but we occasionally loan animals to appropriate, qualified facilities.

Our Educational Outreach

Educational Tours

Scheduled tours allow anyone who wants to learn about our animals a unique experience. We encourage individuals and groups to contact us about regular tours and special programs.

“Our visit was a wonderful opportunity for the children to see the animals up close and learn about conservation.”
- Stevie Taylor, President of Mebane MOMS Club, Mebane, NC

“Meeting the animals was so unreal; it was like being on a movie set!”
- Roberta Steen, Miami, FL

“It was great seeing the animals at the Conservators’ Center. It’s nice to see there’s a sanctuary that will rescue them from places that don’t treat them correctly.”
- Karen Misiano, Graham, NC

“I didn’t know what to expect. Frankly, I wasn’t expecting much. But my visit to the Conservators’ Center was greater than I could have ever imagined or hoped for!”
- Maurice Ducloux, Madrid, Spain

Educational Programs

The Center’s educational programs reach out to many different school and community groups with information about our animals and our conservation work. The programs are tailored to meet the needs, interest, and age of your group. Contact us to set up a program that is right for your needs.

Volunteer Opportunities

Trained volunteers appreciate the opportunity to learn about, and work beside, our animals. Those who are willing to commit their time to the organization gain valuable experience and learn a broad range of skills, including animal care, construction, and fundraising.

“Working at the Conservators’ Center ‘centers me’ after a stressful week at work. To be so close to these incredible animals – outside doing physical work instead of being chained to my computer in my office, knowing that I’m giving something back to the animals and the world – there’s nothing that makes me feel better!”
- Betsy Carlton, Construction Volunteer, Raleigh, NC

“My wife and I have always loved animals, and for some time had wanted to volunteer at a rescue or sanctuary. After looking into several places, our hearts were won by the Conservators’ Center. The threefold mission of the Center (conservation, education, and sanctuary), the wonderful people who have founded and staff it, plus the amazing animals we have grown to love, make the time we are able to spend there more rewarding than we could have hoped. The volunteers at the Center are wanted, needed, and truly appreciated – both by the two-legged friends we have made there and those with four.”
- Frank Pyne, Volunteer Educational Tour Guide, Pittsboro, NC

Internships

Our interns gain real-world wildlife keeper experience. We offer internships to students from local community colleges and universities, and adults from throughout the US and the world who are committed to an intense learning experience.

“Conservators’ Center gives me a unique opportunity to do hands-on work that challenges my mind and body, and to spend time with quirky animals. I haven’t just learned about the individual personalities of the exotic animals, but have discovered that each of the staff members at the Center has a captivating and ‘exotic’ personality. They make interning exciting and educational every day!”
- Olivia Korhman, Mebane, NC

 

Community Outreach

We provide programs for community and school groups, speak at public hearings, and host and train staff from other facilities.

The Conservators’ Center founders are recognized experts in wild animal husbandry. They provide training and consultation to other professionals in the US, and abroad. They have also served as consultants when regulations governing the ownership of exotic wild animals are under consideration.

“Staying at the Conservators’ Center was an outstanding opportunity. I met people that commit their whole lives to the animals’ welfare. A center where love and care was given to every animal – every single one. Animals don’t lie. They love you because you give everything, day after day.”
- Fernando Vidal, President, Fauna Andina, Chile

 

Our Sanctuary Commitment

In order to save a species you must preserve an entire ecosystem. The Conservators’ Center participates through our conservation work.

We also believe there is value in individual animals. The animals in our care contribute to the survival of their species because people who learn about them come to understand why it is important to protect them, and their habitats. Our conservation breeding program contributes to the limited numbers of these animals that are bred in captivity. Networking with other organizations allows us to have more of an impact through sharing offspring for educational programs and future breeding.

Saving individual animals requires accepting rescue and placement animals. The majority of our animals arrived at the Conservators’ Center by rescue and placement. Our staff has the experience and ability to accept the worst-case animals. For instance, those who:

• have serious behavioral issues
• are very ill
• are at immediate risk of death
• are seized from angry owners who were responsible for animal abuse, neglect, or cruelty

The animals we rescue are confiscated by animal control or other government authorities who ask us to take them, or come to us after an urgent call from an owner who is no longer able to control the animal. We receive no state or federal funding to transport or house rescued animals.

Placement animals are offered to us because they need a new home. We can only accept these animals if they enhance our educational program, or can provide needed companionship to an animal already on site.

Our Staff

• Douglas Evans, CEO – “I am the happiest pauper on the planet. When I have a rough day I seek out the company of one of our critters and am immediately reminded why I’ve made this my life’s work.”
  
• Mindy Stinner, Executive Director, VP – “Working daily with these wonderful animals is everything I had hoped it could be. It is a passion-driven, all-consuming life choice…but how many other people work the same hours with the same drive and get so much less of a reward? At the end of the day our lions tell me they adore me, and the wolves howl me to sleep.”
  
• Julia Matson, Outreach Coordinator – “There is no responsibility greater than protecting the fate and well-being of others. That is what my job is all about – ensuring that the animals we have been charged to care for have the best lives possible. Every chuffle I get from a tiger, and every trill from a caracal reminds me how amazing the Center truly is.”
  
• Janine Tokarczyk, Lead Animal Keeper – “Since I have always loved animals, I am very excited to be able to care for animals in need. Every day when I go through the compound, the animals all show me how much they appreciate my care. That makes this the most rewarding and enjoyable career for me.”
  
• Carolyn Hinshaw, Animal Keeper – “I feel very lucky that I have been given this great opportunity to do something that has been a passion of mind since I was a child.”
  
• Brad Arthur, Animal Keeper – “One of the things that attracts me to working with animals is how genuine they are. All they ask of you is to give them clean water, plenty of food, and attention. It’s amazing how much it can lift your mood when you get a chuffle from a tiger who is genuinely happy to see you.”

Contact Us

Mailing address:
Conservators’ Center, Inc.
PO Box 882
Mebane, NC 27302

If you would like more information on the following topics either call (336) 421-0883 or email:

For educational programs: keeper@conservatorscenter.org
For tours, internships, and donations: tours@conservatorscenter.org
For volunteering: volunteeratcci@yahoo.com

To speak to someone in the Center’s business office about any topic not listed above, please call (336) 421-0065.

Please note: (posted May 1, 2008) We have recently experienced some technical difficulties with our web site. If you have tried to contact us via email through this site in the last two weeks and have not received a response, please try again or contact us by phone. We apologize for the inconvenience.

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