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Donor intent · Sanctuary giving

Donate to an Animal Sanctuary

Learn how to assess an animal sanctuary donation, including care plans, recipient identity and how WARN’s developing grant support differs.

By WARN Research & Conservation TeamLast updated

A spectacled bear looking to the left, with pale facial markings and greenery behind it.

In brief

Donating to an animal sanctuary usually means supporting a named facility’s care and running costs. Check who operates it and what the gift covers. WARN does not run sanctuaries; its appeals raise funds towards assessed support and explain the current funding stage.

80%
Programme target
Grants
Not WARN-run sites
Multiple
Species programmes

Found an animal that needs help?

Find the right next step

Choose what you can see to find practical guidance and contact options. WARN does not operate an emergency dispatch service. If a person is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services.

Keep a safe distance and contact a professional. Contact options updated for Choose location / elsewhere.

Keep a safe distance and contact a professional

  1. Observe from a safe place and keep children and pets away. Do not approach large wildlife, bats, snakes, birds of prey, or sick or dead birds.
  2. Contact a wildlife rehabilitator, local wildlife authority or vet promptly. Describe visible injuries, breathing difficulty, entanglement or a collision without trying to diagnose the animal.
  3. Ask for species-specific instructions before handling, moving or feeding it. Do not enter a road, fire zone, railway or water to attempt a rescue.

Guidance: RSPCA: injured wildlife advice. Reviewed 8 September 2026.

Contact options

These independent services have their own areas, hours and capacity. For an injured dog or cat, call a local veterinary practice first. If you cannot reach a responder, try the local wildlife authority or another vet; do not wait for a reply from WARN.

What to tell a responder

Share the exact location or map pin, when you found the animal, what you can see and how to contact you. Take a photo only from a safe distance. Explain any nearby traffic, fire, water, people or pets so the responder can plan an appropriate response.

Guide 1

What Sanctuary Donations Usually Fund

Searching "donate to animal sanctuary" often means supporting a named facility — food, keeper wages, veterinary care, enclosure maintenance and rehabilitation for rescued animals. Many excellent sanctuaries operate locally or abroad with transparent daily running costs.

Guide 2

How WARN Differs from a Sanctuary

WARN is a grant-making global not-for-profit, not a sanctuary operator. It channels international donations to vetted partner sanctuaries, rehabilitation centres and field teams abroad — without building parallel WARN-branded facilities. Your gift funds partner-led delivery with reporting accountability.

Guide 3

Partner Sanctuaries WARN Grants Support

WARN is developing grant support. Check the relevant appeal and /about/where-your-money-goes/#grant-register for recipient selection, agreements and published payments.

Guide 4

Choosing Sanctuary Versus Programme Grants

If you want to support one named sanctuary you can visit, donate to that sanctuary directly. The country guides describe welfare issues and places; they do not establish funded WARN operations. Both are valid depending on your giving goal.

Guide 5

Monthly Versus One-Off Sanctuary-Adjacent Giving

Sanctuary running costs are year-round — monthly giving at monthly giving or symbolic adoption at symbolic adoption from £5/month helps partners budget for keeper care, milk formula and veterinary supplies. One-off gifts suit urgent orphan intakes or seizure triage.

Guide 6

Honest Registration Answers

Legal identity: registration status. WARN sanctuary-adjacent giving is not Gift Aid eligible. The case for giving is transparent partner-led rehabilitation and release — not tax relief.

Guide 7

Wildlife Versus Companion Animal Sanctuaries

Street dog CNVR at Karachi street-dog appeal addresses population scale rather than sanctuary pen care. Wildlife sanctuaries handle orphans, snare injuries and trafficking survivors — route through orangutan appeal, elephant appeal or pangolin appeal.

Guide 8

Verifying Sanctuary and Grant Recipients

WARN targets at least 80% programme funding and publishes registration at registration status. Partners are established in-country organisations with field expertise — WARN does not publish unverified rescue counts before partner reporting.

Explore Related Rescue Work

Wildlife guide

Orangutan

Orangutans are Critically Endangered great apes found only in Borneo and Sumatra; all three species — Bornean, Sumatran, and Tapanuli — face extinction driven mainly by habitat loss from palm oil and logging, plus the illegal pet trade.

Wildlife guide

Pangolin

Pangolins are the world's most heavily trafficked wild mammals; all eight species are threatened by illegal trade in their keratin scales, used in traditional medicine across Asia, with the Chinese and Sunda pangolins now Critically Endangered.

Wildlife guide

Elephant

Elephants are three living species, not one. Asian and African savanna elephants are Endangered; African forest elephants are Critically Endangered. Gestation is about 22 months. The related appeal explains potential support and the current funding status; this guide does not confirm a WARN grant. Asian elephants have one trunk-tip finger; African elephants have two.

Country programme

Indonesia

Indonesia’s forests, islands and coasts support remarkable wildlife, including all three orangutan species. Animal welfare and conservation needs differ between Kalimantan, Sumatra and the wider archipelago.

Country programme

Malaysia

Animal welfare in Malaysia spans Peninsular forests, Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo, and marine habitats. Place and species matter when assessing a conservation need or deciding who can help.

Country programme

Colombia

Colombia links Andean, Amazonian, Caribbean and Pacific environments. Animal rescue, habitat protection and coexistence need local approaches that reflect this diversity.

Country programme

Brazil

Brazil’s Amazon, Atlantic Forest, Pantanal and other landscapes support distinctive animal communities. Rescue and conservation needs vary greatly between places and incidents.

Source Notes

WARN uses named intergovernmental, conservation and animal-welfare sources for numeric claims. These notes summarise the source basis for this page.

WARN where your money goes

Programme funding target at where your money goes.

WARN appeals index

Species programmes channelling grants to partners.

WARN registration status

Legal identity at registration status.

Donate to an Animal Sanctuary: Frequently Asked Questions

Does WARN run animal sanctuaries?
No. WARN is developing grant support. Check the relevant appeal and /about/where-your-money-goes/#grant-register for recipient selection, agreements and published payments.
How do I donate to support sanctuaries abroad?
Give at donate or choose a species appeal at appeals — orangutans, elephants, pangolins and more.
Can I visit a sanctuary my donation supports?
WARN does not operate visitor sanctuaries. Partner facilities prioritise rehabilitation and release — not donor tourism.
Is sanctuary donation Gift Aid eligible?
No. WARN is a registered global not-for-profit and cannot claim Gift Aid
Which species have sanctuary programmes?
Orangutans, elephants, pangolins, tigers, gorillas, rhinos, parrots and moon bears — see appeals.
Can I donate monthly to sanctuary care?
Yes — monthly giving or symbolic adoption at symbolic adoption from £5/month.
How is WARN different from donating to one sanctuary?
WARN routes grants across multiple partner facilities and countries — flexible allocation rather than one named site.
Are US sanctuary donations tax-deductible through WARN?
No. WARN is a UK CIC global not-for-profit, not a US 501(c)(3).
How can I check whether WARN has paid a grant?
Read /about/where-your-money-goes/#grant-register for published recipient, approval and payment records. A reconciled financial summary and individual grant records have not yet been published here. This is a reporting status, not a statement that income, expenditure or grants are zero. Contact WARN for information about your gift.

Help Fund Frontline Rescue

World Animal Rescue Network CIC (Company no. 17298990) raises funds for established local partners. Your support helps build the rescue capacity these animals need.

Donate to Partner Programmes