Our mission is to rescue injured and orphaned wild animals, return them to health and then return them to the wild.
The Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Ellijay, Georgia, is a rescue, rehabilitation and release facility for the wild indigenous animals of Georgia, from the smallest mammals and reptiles to the largest carnivores and birds of prey. We are a 30-acre facility that medically cares for all species of orphaned and injured wildlife indigenous to Georgia and the southeast. It began 30 years ago when a young boy named Craig Cylke began rescuing and caring for injured animals that he found in the wild. It wasn’t long before the surrounding community learned that Craig would take care of any wild animals in need that were brought to him. Today, the sanctuary is a state and federally licensed facility that remains under the guidance of Craig and his wife, Debbie who are both certified in wildlife rehabilitation.
Fourteen years ago, the sanctuary achieved 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and began to offer outdoor education and summer camp programs to serve the people of the community. To date, the sanctuary’s dedicated staff has educated over 100,000 children and adults through on-site course offerings, summer camps, and mobile education programs. It is their hope that through environmental education, schools, churches, civic groups and families will come to learn about the “Circle of Life” –realizing that if we all help to take care of "mother nature,” she in turn will take care of us.
Our mission is to rescue, raise and release injured or orphaned wild animals, and educate people about the importance of wild animal and habitat preservation. Remember, as heads of the animal kingdom, we have a responsibility to serve and preserve.
Animal sponsorships, memberships, and T-shirts may be purchased to help support our efforts to save the lives of sick, injured or orphaned wild animals.
