Moonridge Animal Park

If you blink, you'll miss it.

Snuggled in the quiet seclusion of the pine-laden San Bernardino mountains, you'll find Moonridge Animal Park, one of the best-kept little zoos in Southern California.

There are no flashing neon signs signaling you in, just a few modest signs, which lead visitors into a quiet park where orphaned and injured North American alpine wildlife have found sanctuary since 1959.

Many of the park's critters came to this Big Bear zoo as a result of human interference. They were either shot, hit by cars, or snatched from their mother's nests or dens at an early age.

Moonridge Zoo Big Bear, for its size, has one of the biggest varieties of wildlife in Southern California. Through the years, it has been home to gray foxes, black bears, mountain lions, raccoons, bald eagles, golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, mule deer, skunks, coyotes, snakes, ravens, bobcats, and barn owls — to just name a few.

Sierra, a great horned owl, came to the park after several students disturbed her mother's nest inside a college gymnasium. "The nest was so disturbed that the parents abandoned the chicks," said curator Don Richardson. "Sierra was brought into captivity and became one of our educational animals."

A dedicated animal lover, Richardson left his post as senior keeper at the LA Zoo to take on the challenge of revamping the Moonridge Animal Park. "I really enjoy it here," said Richardson. "It's been very challenging, and I've done more than I ever had to do in Los Angeles as far as building enclosures, learning about the architecture, and medical care."

One of Richardson's greatest acquisitions was three grizzly bears from Yellowstone National Park in Montana. Labeled as nuisance bears, mother Tutu and her cubs, Harley and Ayla, were going to be destroyed if a home wasn't found for them. We were really happy to bring history back to the valley and save the bears in the process."

Richardson has helped save more than the grizzlies. "Every year, we release probably 20 animals of different species," he said.

Many of the injured or abused animals that come to the park are patched up by Richardson himself. "We hope to release every animal back into the wild, but sometimes animals are too far along with their injuries, or too accustomed to people for us to get anywhere with them," he said.

Richardson said that for such a small park, the variety of animals you'll find here is amazing. "Kids love the park because they can get very close to the animals," he said.

Every day at noon, the park offers an animal presentation and talk about alpine creatures. During the daily feeding tours at 3 p.m., keepers explain interesting facts about the animals as they are fed.

Bats, ringtail cats and fishers are among the animals featured at the zoo's Saturday night flashlight safaris, held every September and October. Many other special events are held throughout the year, including popular 1-week zoo camps, held for children ages 7-12.

For Richardson, the day begins at 8:30 a.m. and doesn't end until about 6:30 p.m. "It's very time consuming," he said. "We're here about 10 hours a day. We don't get paid for that, but it's a labor of love, so to speak."

Moonridge Zoo Big Bear is located at 43285 Goldmine Drive, Big Bear Lake, CA 92315; (909) 584-1299; www.moonridgezoo.org

• To learn more about the Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary, click here
• To learn more about the Wolf Sanctuary in Lucerne Valley, click here.
• To learn more about the Exotic Feline Rescue in Rosamond, click here.
• To learn more about the Desert Tortoise sanctuary in the Mojave Desert, click here.