run for the wild

Forest Animal Rescue hosts its inaugural Wild Side 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, November 11, at Citizens’ Circle.

Ever have the urge to run on the wild side? Then the Forest Animal Rescue’s Wild Side 5K Run/Walk may be the answer.

Established by Lisa and Kurt Stoner in 2013, FAR is located on 80 acres in the Ocala National Forest. The wildlife sanctuary is home to more than 100 rescued animals, including tigers, black bears, African servals, capuchin and spider monkeys, several bat species and gray wolves. Its most recent rescues include two Pantagonian pumas.

“All of the animals at our sanctuary were exploited by humans in some way,” says Lisa Stoner. “Many were bought illegally by people who charged others to view them. Many have come from roadside petting zoos, as well as other zoos that were forced to close. Here at

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By JoAnn Guidry

our sanctuary, they enjoy the best quality of life that they have ever had.”

FAR, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. FAR is also accredited by the American Sanctuary Association and Tigers In America. FAR is not open to the public, except for scheduled twice a month $50 per person vehicle tours.

“Of course, running a sanctuary and providing the best care possible for our animals is expensive,” says Stoner. “We are supported entirely by private donations from individuals, groups and foundations. Their generosity has allowed us to build a wonderful tiger habitat of an acre and a quarter. We’ve also built a 4-acre black bear habitat. One of our future goals is to build concrete pools with waterfalls in the tiger habitats. And we are moving forward on the construction of our on-site veterinarian clinic and sanctuary o ce.”

While brainstorming on community outreach fundraising ideas, Stoner decided a road race was a natural fit.

“We chose Citizens’ Circle because it’s centrally located and we could have a nice race route through the downtown historic district,” says Stoner. “It’s going to be a fun, family event with medals, prizes and entertainment. We encourage people to wear safari or wild animal print. Of course, the o cial race T-shirt will be wildlife themed. All proceeds from the race will go to the sanctuary.”

The Wild Side 5K Run/Walk will take place on November 11 at Citizens’ Circle and is sponsored by BMW of Ocala, Staples and BB&T.

Learn more › WILD SIDE

5K RUN/WALK › Saturday, November 11, 8am › Citizens’ Circle, 151 SE Osceola Avenue, Ocala › wildside5k.org › forestanimalrescue.org › (352) 625-7377