About

Mission

Southwest Oklahoma Animal Rescue, INC., better known as SOAR is a 501c3 Non-Profit, Licensed and accredited with the Oklahoma Department Wildlife Conservation and United States Fish and Wildlife. Our mission at SOAR is to ensure the survival and rehabilitate of wild species and to educate other people on living sustainably with other wildlife species.

Our job is to create awareness and implement effective programs such as environmental and animal protection. From the forest to the sea, wildlife faces constant threats of aggression and abuse. SOAR rescues orphaned, injured, and displaced wildlife and returns the majority to the wild. We also provide permanent care in large natural enclosures to farmed and unreleasable wildlife, when approved by state and federal agencies.

In addition, SOAR offers assistance, on a limited basis, to homeless companion animals and provides advice and assistance for dealing with human-wildlife conflicts in a nonlethal manner. We are moving governments and communities around the world to protect this wildlife – and by supporting our campaigns, you can help keep wildlife safe and wild. In addition, SOAR provides assistance, in moderation, to homeless pets and wild cats and provides advice and assistance in dealing with human and wild conflicts in a non-lethal manner.
SOAR staff work to educate the public about appropriate and respectful relationships with nature and wildlife. Whether through training, education, promotion, or direct animal care, SOAR fulfills its commitment to wildlife protection and good morals, stable relationships between humans and the natural world. Because of our commitment to respecting the rights and needs of wildlife, SOAR facilities are not open to the public except in special circumstances.

Saving lives since 1999. Help us continue that effort.

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Ethics

As an organization, SOAR is committed to a society and culture which allow people to safely raise concerns of inappropriate conduct by employees or volunteers of our organization. We are committed to celebrate and respect diversity in nature and other people and communities whom we work.
SOAR is not open to the public and does not use animals for educational purposes currently, other than special conditions. We do not keep wild animals in captivity for the purpose of exposing them to public display even if that display is in the classroom, unless approved by State and/or Federal Agencies.
We must at all times, to the best of our ability, work in accordance with any ongoing conservation programs and consult with appropriate conservation organizations. Although the welfare and conservation of wildlife may be two completely different ideas, there is no way that welfare should jeopardize the survival of any wildlife species present.
We celebrate and respect the diversity of nature and among the people, partners and communities we work with. In all cultures and many people representing the SOAR, we are united by one work, one brand, and one set of identical values. We believe that together, we can protect and restore that critical environment to the health of our planet.

Each year we see the disappearance of thousands of species of plants and animals that we will never know, our children will never see, because they are lost forever.

Pope Francis

History

SOAR was founded in 1999 in Tillman County, Oklahoma. Since 1999, we have been committed to ending wildlife suffering, while protecting human and wildlife habitats. We believe that we can restore the balance between humans and wildlife to a sustainable and healthy planet. SOAR began as a vision of a woman in her twenties in Oklahoma. Julie observed that many wild animals suffered and died after encountering humans and that many could be saved and, with help, rehabilitated and returned to the wild.

We have received over 20,000 native wild animals since inception. Annually, we rescue approximately 1,000 animals brought to us for rehabilitation and respond to more than 8,000 phone inquiries and requests for help. Our conservation efforts begin with the community. Through our bird education curriculum, we are able to help children discover and monitor bird behavior and their migration patterns.

The population has grown tremendously in the last 200 years, reaching more than seven billion people today, and continues to grow rapidly. Natural resources are being used more quickly than ever by billions of people around the world. This growth and development threatens wild habitats and the availability of a wide variety of wildlife around the world, especially animals and plants that can be abandoned for the betterment of the earth, or used for food or other human purposes. Other threats to wildlife include the introduction of invasive species from other parts of the world, pollution, fishing and poaching.
Julie also saw that some would not be released because of injury or other things, and that they could live a satisfying life in a safe protected environment. It was her vision to launch the SOAR organization to save wildlife. That is why we are building an ecosystem to act collaboratively with impact. A diverse, inclusive, and powerful ecosystem such as tropical forests, mangroves, and coral reefs that breathe life into our shared home.