Any pet owner can tell you: Coming home to your furry friend and giving them a pat on the belly or a scratch behind the ear can be one of the most content, soothing parts of the day. Every person, pet owner or otherwise, should be able to experience that affection, whether with a domesticated critter or a wild animal in need. In honor of World Animal Day, spend some quiet time with animals at these wildlife sanctuaries, shelters and cafes—all of which support and promote compassion for and the adoption of animals in need.
Wildlife Learning Center
Walk around the leafy grounds of this suburban Sylmar sanctuary to see everything from monkeys to foxes. For hands-on photo ops, request a close encounter with an armadillo, a two-toed sloth or an impossibly adorable fennec fox. Make sure to say hi to Zeus, the starry-eyed blind owl in the gift shop.
Animal Tracks
Where do animal actors go when they retire? If they’re lucky, they get to go to this Agua Dulce backyard. The two-hour tour here is as educational as it is hands on, with opportunities to pet everything from a hybrid wolf to a baboon.
Crumbs & Whiskers
This Melrose storefront is a place where you can grab a cup of coffee and cuddle with some cats. Its swanky digs are dotted with cozy nooks to cuddle its adorable—and adoptable—cats.
Farm Sanctuary
This rescue advocates vegan living and offers visitors the opportunity to discover that animals we typically think of as livestock are lovable, too. Animals include pigs that love belly rubs, a turkey with a fondness for massages under her wings and an adorable donkey named Honky Tonk.
The Gentle Barn
This Santa Clarita ranch reminds us of the innocence and joy of making a physical connection with animals, such as goats, pigs, horses, cows, donkeys and chickens. The sanctuary seeks to inspire kindness and compassion for animals—and, in turn, for each other.
Los Angeles Zoo
Griffith Park's sprawling zoo offers hourly close-up encounters with hedgehogs, armadillos and all sorts of reptiles at the Winnick Family Children’s Zoo, as well as the chance to pet some sweet, fluffy goats. And if you consider a bit of giraffe tongue slobber to be petting, you can partake in giraffe feedings twice a day.
Your local animal shelter
If a few head scratches and belly rubs have you hankering for a fluffy friend of your own, consider adopting a dog or cat at one of the six city shelters, Best Friends Animal Society, Pasadena Humane Society, Pet Orphans and Kitty Bungalow, among others.