By early 2022, home to more than 550 animals, and 192 staff and volunteers to take care, the group announced the purchase of a major addition, a 9,004-acre ranch near Springfield, Colorado.

[1] Pat Craig started The Wild Animal Sanctuary when he took in a jaguar cub that he kept on a licensed facility on his family's farm outside Boulder, Colorado.

The sanctuary built a fabric covered structure isolated from the main facility to house the lions while they got acclimated to the Colorado climate, and while four 20-acre (8.1 ha) outdoor enclosures were being prepared.

[13] As of 2013, the sanctuary had 26 species-specific habitats of 5–25 acres (2–10 ha) each[13] that are home to over 330 African lions, tigers, bears, leopards, cougars, timberwolves and other large carnivores.

In contrast to the plains of Keenesburg, the new location has a variety of wild terrain, including pine forest, canyons, caves and rocky areas.

As of January 2022, the sanctuary has constructed more than 30 large acreage habitats at the Refuge and currently cares for more than 150 rescued Lions, Tigers, Bears, Wolves and other animals there.

The sanctuary also became involved with the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) efforts to round up wild horses in northwest Colorado by responding to supporters requests for help.

The sanctuary began to adopt many of the captured horse in order to protect their freedom and provide them with vast spaces to roam at their Springfield, CO facility.

At the same time, the sanctuary began a state-wide search for property large enough to provide refuge to much larger number of wild horses, which are also known as Mustangs.

Plans include allowing rescued mustangs to roam freely with little human interaction and to implement a similar Founder Program to help pay for the new purchase.