Visiting Best Friends Animal Society

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Visiting Best Friends Animal Society

The Society

The Best Friends Animal Society operates the largest no kill animal sanctuary in the USA.  Its headquarters and sanctuary are located in Kanab, Utah on 20,700 acres of which 3,700 acres are owned by the organization and the rest of the land is leased from State and Federal agencies.

Best Friends Animal Society is the number one attraction to visit in Kanab, UT according to TripAdvisor, thus it peaked my interest enough to join a scheduled 1.5 hour tour.  I learned so much about the organization while I was there.  Best Friends Animal Society’s mission is to make the entire USA no kill by 2025.  It is on its way…the state of Utah will be no kill by next year! 

The Sanctuary

The sanctuary is home to 1,700 animals which include horses, pigs, goats, dogs, cats, birds and rabbits. The sanctuary may be visited through a variety of tours, volunteering or adopting.  Those who volunteer for a three hour shift may pay to stay at one of the cabins or participating hotels and take a pet home with them for the night!  As a result of volunteering, they may also take them for a hike on one of the trails on the surrounding land.

It is easy to spend an entire day at the facility.  Sign up for the morning shift.  Have lunch at the Angel Village Cafe for $5.  Some say the all vegan food is free and the $5 is for the magnificent view.  That could be, but the salad bar is pretty good and dessert is fantastic.

View from Angel Village Cafe

Take the afternoon to explore the rest of the property at Best Friends Animal Society.  Visit Angels Rest, a pet cemetery where anyone may have their pet buried.  Check out Angels Landing where events such as weddings are held and the nearby Disney Barn where the 1973 One Little Indian was filmed.  Take a hike to Hidden Lake or along Water Canyon Trail.

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is really an amazing place, and I can see how it is the number one place to visit in Kanab despite the plethora of amazing and world famous hikes in the area.  It is certainly worth visiting and perhaps volunteering while in Southern Utah.

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Beth Bankhead

Former public finance professional turned award winning travel blogger and photographer sharing the earth's beauty one word and image at a time.

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