sanctuary

For 35 years, Dolly Parton's Dollywood cared for non-releasable bald eagles; after storm damage, the birds will stay at a new 50-acre sanctuary

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Dolly Parton's Dollywood has partnered with the American Eagle Foundation for 35 years (AFP)

A theme park is probably not the first place you would look for bald eagles. Yet for 35 years, Dollywood in Tennessee was home to a large group of them. The American Eagle Foundation and Dollywood Parks & Resorts jointly announced that the non-releasable bald eagles that lived at Dollywood’s Eagle Mountain Sanctuary will have … Read more

In 2004, Shannen Doherty paid $2.56 million for a Malibu home she called her sanctuary; 22 years later, after a $9.5 million posthumous listing and price cut, the property sold for $7.65 million

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In 2004, Shannen Doherty paid $2.56 million for a Malibu home she called her sanctuary; 22 years later, after a $9.5 million posthumous listing and price cut, the property sold for $7.65 million

Photo credit (L-R): AI-generated; Realtor.com Shannen Doherty’s longtime Malibu home has sold for $7.65 million, nearly two years after the actress died following a lengthy battle with cancer. Doherty bought the five-bedroom property for $2.56 million in 2004 and later described it as a private sanctuary where she could escape the demands of Hollywood. The … Read more

Jon Stewart and his wife Tracey paid $4 million for a historic 45-acre New Jersey farm in 2016; the property now grows crops and cares for rescued cows, sheep, goats, pigs and chickens through their sanctuary foundation

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Jon Stewart and his wife Tracey paid $4 million for a historic 45-acre New Jersey farm in 2016; the property now grows crops and cares for rescued cows, sheep, goats, pigs and chickens through their sanctuary foundation

Jon Stewart, wife Tracey paid $4m for 45-acre NJ farm; now grows crops, rescues animals (Image Credit: The Two River Times) Jon Stewart’s life away from television has included an unusual investment in New Jersey’s agricultural landscape. In 2016, the comedian and his wife, Tracey Stewart, bought the historic 45-acre Hockhockson Farm in Colts Neck … Read more

Jim Belushi bought 13 acres beside Oregon’s Rogue River and expanded his retreat to 93 acres; years later, the actor described a sanctuary with a sweat lodge, 50 cows and 50 newly born calves

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Jim Belushi bought 13 acres beside Oregon's Rogue River and expanded his retreat to 93 acres; years later, the actor described a sanctuary with a sweat lodge, 50 cows and 50 newly born calves

Photo credit: Jim Belushi’s farm / Instagram Jim Belushi first bought 13 acres beside Oregon’s Rogue River as a private retreat from Hollywood, but over time he expanded the property to about 93 acres and turned it into a working ranch and spiritual sanctuary. In interviews in 2026, the actor and comedian described the land … Read more

Outlander actor Steven Cree opens bear sanctuary in Armenia; three rescued Syrian brown bears move from filthy cages to spacious habitats

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Outlander actor Steven Cree opens bear sanctuary in Armenia; three rescued Syrian brown bears move from filthy cages to spacious habitats

Outlander actor Steven Cree has opened the first phase of a new bear sanctuary in Armenia, giving rescued Syrian brown bears larger and more enriched habitats. Three bears, Aram, Nairi and Lola, have already moved into the sanctuary after being rescued from filthy cages at a Yerevan backyard in 2025. Developed by International Animal Rescue … Read more

She bought a Maine island to stop clear-cutting; 90 years after Audubon opened its first camp there, the 330-acre sanctuary still trains conservationists

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She bought a Maine island to stop clear-cutting; 90 years after Audubon opened its first camp there, the 330-acre sanctuary still trains conservationists

Deep in Maine’s Muscongus Bay, a 330-acre island covered in spruce trees has survived a threat of clear-cut logging and, 90 years later, continues to serve as an international training centre for environmentalists and bird researchers. Hog Island Audubon Camp, near the coastal community of Bremen, marked its 90th anniversary in late August 2026. According … Read more

In 1966, Marlon Brando bought a private Polynesian atoll after filming ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’; it is now a wildlife sanctuary where 15,614 green turtle hatchlings emerged in one season

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In 1966, Marlon Brando bought a private Polynesian atoll after filming ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’; it is now a wildlife sanctuary where 15,614 green turtle hatchlings emerged in one season

Marlon Brando bought a private Polynesian atoll after filming ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ A private Pacific atoll once owned by Hollywood actor Marlon Brando has become one of French Polynesia’s most important marine conservation sites, with thousands of sea turtle hatchlings recorded after decades of habitat protection. Biologists monitoring Tetiaroa Atoll recorded more than 15,614 … Read more

50 years ago, this California sanctuary began saving some of the world’s rarest gibbons, today, their morning songs are a remarkable story of survival

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50 years ago, this California sanctuary began saving some of the world’s rarest gibbons, today, their morning songs are a remarkable story of survival

Gibbon Conservation Center director Gabi Skollar feeds one of the little apes Every morning, as dawn breaks over the dry hills north of Los Angeles, a chorus of sirens, deep hoots and high-pitched calls echoes across the Santa Clarita Valley. The sounds come from the Gibbon Conservation Center, a sanctuary that has spent half a … Read more

How 280,000 volunteer-planted trees transformed New Zealand’s Tiritiri Matangi from a degraded island into a conservation sanctuary

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How 280,000 volunteer-planted trees transformed New Zealand's Tiritiri Matangi from a degraded island into a conservation sanctuary

Rangitoto framed – Tiritiri Matangi Island Off the coast of Auckland, in New Zealand’s Hauraki Gulf, lies an island that looks like a slice of untouched wilderness. Dense native forest blankets its hills, rare birds call from the canopy and visitors walk along quiet tracks surrounded by ferns and flowering shrubs. Yet just a few … Read more

Australian family bought a remote island to run a sheep farm, now they are turning it into a $4.8 million conservation sanctuary for endangered wildlife

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Australian family bought a remote island to run a sheep farm, now they are turning it into a $4.8 million conservation sanctuary for endangered wildlife

An Australian family who once built their life around sheep farming on a remote island are now helping give the same place a completely different future. Peter and Pamela Woolford took over Flinders Island off South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula and raised their family there while running a Merino sheep station. Nearly five decades later, the … Read more