This year’s Spring Fling was filled with sunshine, smiles, and stories that remind us why we do what we do. Ohio Animal Advocates was thrilled to visit Sunrise Sanctuary and meet some of their incredible residents — each with their own journey of resilience, love, and second chances.

Two animals who captured everyone’s hearts were Trevor the turkey and Daisy the blind mini horse.

In the spring of 2025, a striking silver fox captured the attention of Medina County residents—and raised a red flag for wildlife advocates. The animal, later named Lake, was not just beautiful, he was out of place.

Unlike Ohio’s native red and gray foxes, Lake’s dark, shimmering coat marked him as a melanistic or “silver” fox—a trait rarely seen in the wild, but common in captive-bred foxes raised to be pets. His calm behavior around humans and lack of fear signaled something else: this was no wild animal. Lake had been bred and likely raised in captivity.

And, like many exotic pets, he had been abandoned.

The Battered Women’s Shelter (BWS) of Summit and Medina counties have achieved something incredible: housing for survivors of domestic violence that allows their companion animals! Recently awarded the Office for Victims of Crime Emergency and Transitional Pet Shelter Shelter and Housing Grant, BWS is looking to add the Hope and Healing Pet Shelter to help house family companion animals in close proximity to their 40,000 square foot building with the ability to board 154 survivors of domestic violence. 

In 2014, Russian scientists released two orphaned Amur tiger cubs, Boris and Svetlaya, into the wild. What unfolded was an extraordinary tale of survival, determination, and a connection that inspired tiger conservation efforts globally.

After decades of advocacy and a hard-fought legal battle, 23 chimpanzees owned by the U.S. government will finally retire to the lush sanctuary of Chimp Haven. These chimpanzees, who endured years of painful biomedical experiments, will now experience the freedom and care they deserve.