Raise your hand if you love animals! Lucky for us in Kansas, we have plenty of zoos and sanctuaries at our fingertips, chock full of animals from both nearby and far away. However, when it comes to this one park in particular, there is something extra special about it that deserves to be seen and experienced at least once:
Located south of Kansas City (in Louisburg), the Cedar Cove Feline Conservatory & Education Center is a non-profit that is "devoted to the care and preservation of endangered large cats while educating the public on their behavior, physiology, habitats, and the threats and dangers of extinction."
(Please Note: The grounds don't look like this year-round. This was taken during last year's Halloween fundraiser.)
Opened in 2000 on donated land, Cedar Cove is a home and preserve to a number of big cats who have been abandoned, neglected, or turned over by previous owners who were no longer able to care for them.
Aside from the magnificent animals themselves, one of the most impressive aspects of the park is that it is run completely by donations and more than 200 dedicated (and animal loving) volunteers.
Because the park is run by volunteers (and dedicated community members), it is only open to the public on weekends, unless otherwise scheduled in advance.
