Chase Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservancy, 501-C(3) — Attraction in Groveland

Incredible experience! 10/10 would do again! I went with my family for a session of painting with the lemurs. The lemurs are naturally curious, fun creatures, so it made for a fun time. We even got to see some of the parents with babies on their chests and backs.

A few things to note about the painting session: the lemurs are roaming freely, so be prepared to feel them run over you, and for them to jump up, around, and over the tables. The painting portion is not artist-led, although the artist is there to help provide additional paint, give tips, etc. They had outlines of a lemur drawn on each canvas already, but it was up to us to decide what and how to paint it. They did have three paintings up at the main table that we could look at for help, as well as our lemur friends all around us for inspiration. The session went by quickly, and then everyone could take pictures of their paintings with the lemurs nearby.

Afterwards, you could roam around the portion of the facility that is open to all, go to the gift shop, or you could purchase additional packages to continue events there for the day. I believe some people went to a sloth experience, and others to a facility tour. I wish we would have taken advantage of that, because the facility is amazing. It is clearly well cared for and thought out. The animals in their care have impressive enclosures with enrichment possibilities and ways to get around the site (like tubes). The volunteers there are very knowledgeable and passionate about helping these animals.

Regarding the facilities, because I know this was something I was concerned about- they have two toilets that are gender neutral and well taken care of. Toilet paper, sinks, soap, etc. is all provided. I was pleasantly surprised.

I would love to visit again, check out another type of event that they offer. If you do plan to go, make sure to check out the events and book online in advance. This isn’t a drop-by type of place for those events; the painting sessions, for example, are only offered on two days and at...

Was given the "Zookeeper for a day" program here as a gift. Spent 4 amazing hours with the head keeper working through the entire sanctuary. The animal part was obviously amazing - got up close and very personal with lemurs, tamarins, sloths - everything you'd expect from the website. That was AMAZING. What I was really an awesome extra was the people you interact with. First, you spend the day with the keeper - this is the person that designs the exhibits and cares for the animals- and you really get that perspective. I asked a thousand questions throughout the day and she was able to provide the "why's" and the "how's" of the operation. Gave really interesting insight into how the exhibits are built and why the animals like them - just an amazing level of passion for the sanctuary and its denizens. All the staff that I came into contact with were the same - absolutely loved the job and the opportunity to be there and support the wildlife. You can tell the level of commitment and enjoyment they get from it. It was really interesting to see what goes into it all - 80% cleaning, 10% feeding, 10% medicine - but it was just really fun to see how the group interacts to get the myriad of tasks required daily done each day. And to see how they adjust to different unexpected things that pop up (from escapees to birds that just aren't ready to let go!). I can't recommend the sanctuary and the zoo keeper experience enough! For those that are less "hands on", the tours looked very good as well and didn't involve the cleaning! Overall, and GREAT experience - we will be back...

Great experience! So awesome in fact that I would go back and do it again! I took my gf for a surprise and I think I was just as surprised as she was. The sanctuary was a great little place with plenty of space for the animals and people visiting. This experience was much different than your typical sanctuary visit. You actually get to enjoy and interact with the animals. This is the same for the group tour or the private tour, the website doesn't specify this explicitly, but both tours will take you in with the lemurs. There's also little baby monkeys and ant eaters, and you can pet and touch them all! You'll meet a few different breeds of lemurs ranging from younger and smaller lemurs that are little less social (unless you have food) to larger lemurs who love to lay and hug you regardless of food or not 😊 Our guide was really nice, and so was the rest of the volunteers. We saw sloths as well and it was all a really great experience. I highly recommend this for anyone that loves animals and interacting with them. The sanctuary is a great place for these animals and they have done quite a bit of work to keep the animals active and happy with plenty of space. My only warning to people is that the tour is during the hottest part of the day 1pm - about 3pm. There is plenty of shade but it is still going to be hot bc we live in FL and FL doesn't care, so if you can't handle 90+ temps I would go in the "winter" months. We went in August but we both do well in heat. Anyways, hope this helps, go visit and enjoy some lemurs, cavys, deer, sloths, monkeys, and exotic...