About WildHeart
The story of a foundation born from passion for wild animals and the journey that shaped its mission to enrich the lives of animals in human care.
How It Started
I started the WildHeart Foundation in 2015 after leaving my career working with exotic animals. I had trained tigers, worked with small sanctuaries and zoos, and seen firsthand both the passion of keepers and the difficult conditions that many animals faced. I wanted to make sure that animals in human care could live better lives, no matter where they were. WildHeart was my way of turning that vision into action.
The mission was simple: enrich the lives of wild animals through better enclosures, enrichment, and direct support. I wanted every dollar raised to go toward improvements that the animals could actually use. It did not matter if they lived at a roadside zoo or a respected sanctuary. What mattered was making their lives better.
Growing the Mission
WildHeart grew quickly from its small beginnings. Early on, we partnered with students from the Pikes Peak Community College zookeeping program to organize volunteer projects, including putting the finishing touches on the largest captive wolf enclosure in North America at Mission Wolf. That project was a milestone and set the tone for the kind of work we wanted to do: practical improvements that made an immediate difference for animals.
During this time, I also worked toward one of my biggest ambitions: buying a zoo in Colorado that had gone up for sale. We lined up backers and brought our business plan to the bank, securing over half a million dollars in financing. In the end, the deal fell through, partly due to the involvement of people later connected with the Tiger King series. Looking back, I believe it was for the best, but that vision was a huge driving force behind WildHeart and reflected the scale of the dreams I had for it.
From there, our reach expanded. We supported sanctuaries across Colorado and the surrounding states, sending toys and enrichment to rescued wildlife across the U.S. We provided food to zoos impacted by hurricanes in Texas, shipped supplies to facilities in need, and responded to requests from keepers and sanctuaries around the world. We sent toys as far as Africa, South America, and the Middle East, giving animals opportunities for play and enrichment that they otherwise would not have had.
At its height, WildHeart was beginning to reflect the big dreams I had for it. We hosted fundraising events like Tigers and Tuxedos, where a single evening could bring in tens of thousands of dollars for wildlife projects. Even with that success, we never reached the level where anyone could take a salary, and the work remained something we all did in our free time.
One of the proudest milestones came when we were contacted by Follow the Tigers, an organization working with Thailand's Department of Wildlife after they rescued tigers from the infamous Tiger Temple tourist attraction. The Thai officials were cautious about outside groups, but alongside Follow the Tigers, we were able to help them build the first new enclosure. It was the pinnacle of everything WildHeart stood for, and I still look back on it as one of the most meaningful projects I have ever been part of.
Closing a Chapter
But as the work expanded, so did the demands. I was running WildHeart in my free time, often putting in forty hours a week on top of a full-time job. My partners and volunteers shared the passion, but none of us could sustain that pace forever. At the same time, I realized I was facing serious mental health challenges and stepped away from my day job to focus on recovery.
During that period, I also had the idea for a web app that could connect zookeepers and donors, creating a new way to provide resources for animals in need. To make that vision possible, I began learning how to code. What started as a way to keep WildHeart alive eventually grew into a full career change, which took much of my focus and energy.
The pandemic arrived during that time and dealt a major blow. Volunteers had less time, social and economic anxiety was high, and resources dried up. For a while I kept trying to see if the foundation could sustain itself, but it became harder and harder to keep momentum alive. After about a year of struggling to hold it together, I accepted that WildHeart had run its course and formally dissolved it after six years of work.
The Spirit Lives On
Even though the nonprofit dissolved, WildHeart has never really left me. It grew out of my years working hands-on with animals, and it shaped how I see the world. To this day, my motivation and drive in my daily life is still influenced by the vision I cultivated. I carry that passion with me.
The spirit of WildHeart is still alive in all of us who were part of it. It reminds me of what matters most, and it remains the seed of what I hope to build in the future. My heart remains wild.
