Animal sanctuaries are usually non-profit organizations founded to rescue and protect animals with the help of volunteers. The objectives of animal sanctuaries include rescuing and helping in the rehabilitation, and any other type of care that animals that had been neglected or abused require.
These types of organizations dedicate their efforts towards the animals that reach their doors and that have been neglected, starved, or simply unwanted. Moreover, these organizations also take care of those animals whose owners could no longer care for them. Some of these facilities even receive and care for any species of large animals that are in need, such as horses, llamas, sheep, cows and other large animals. The volunteers working with such organizations make sure that these animals receive once again the care and love that they need so much.
Once animals reach these organizations, they are treated with the utmost care. They benefit from veterinary care, individualized diets, shelter and more importantly, love from those who take care of them. As soon as the animals fully recover, they are able to enjoy the freedom that comes with their new homes, where they have wide open fields and the companionship of other rescued animals, all of which helps them live a better quality life.
Personnel in animal sanctuaries nurse ill or abused animals until they get back to health, rescue imperiled animals and give these creatures the opportunity to live out their lives with dignity. In that sense, sanctuaries should not be confused with zoos, since the animals are never placed in situations that can cause them the least amount of stress.