8 min read How To Tell If An Animal 'Sanctuary' Is A Fake

With summer warming up, it's the perfect time to visit the many sanctuaries and facilities that are helping animals. But how can you know if the place you're visiting is really a haven for animals - rather than a prison? Here are five questions to ask yourself to make sure your favorite sanctuary is a legitimate one. While there are always exceptions, these guidelines should help you sort out the good from the bad. Are there baby animals?

Good sanctuaries should do their best to prevent breeding. | CAMILA DUNNER AND GABRIEL PASTOR

Do you see big cats or monkeys doing tricks? Elephants being ridden? If so, back away. Wild animals aren't obedient, and usually can't be trained without negative enforcement - which means whips, shackles, food deprivation or other questionable methods, even if the keepers tell you otherwise. Real sanctuaries allow animals to live in as close to their natural environment as possible. This means giving them the choice of when and how to interact with humans - and letting them hide whenever they want. Do the animals have enough room?

A bear rescued from too-small living quarters | PETA

Many self-proclaimed sanctuaries or roadside zoos boast that they meet or exceed the USDA requirements for keeping animals - but that's not enough. USDA regulations are the bare minimum, and under these standards animals barely have enough room to turn around. Use your judgment. Does the animal have enough room to indulge in natural behaviors for their species, whether that's running or swimming or climbing? Does their home look like where you'd see them in the wild? Take a look at their enclosures. They should always be clean, and drinking water should be fresh and clear. Do keepers interact with them?

A tiger interacting with a keeper at the now-closed Bowmanville Zoo | FACEBOOK/THE BOWMANVILLE ZOOLOGICAL PARK

Of course, there's nothing wrong with snuggling up to a rescued sheep or cow. But when it comes to wild animals or exotics, contact should be kept to a minimum. At legitimate sanctuaries, keepers will never be allowed in the cages with wild animals, particularly dangerous ones like lions, tigers and bears. Not only is it dangerous for the humans, but for the animals as well. If you see a keeper interacting directly with a dangerous animal, it's a good sign to walk away. Good sanctuaries keep animals as wild as nature intended. Can you pet them?

A cub at a "tiger petting" facility | The Humane Society of the United States

It's even worse when facilities allow visitors to pet wild animals, particularly young lion and tiger cubs. In the case of big cats and other exotics, the animals are often torn away from their mothers as infants to prepare them for handling; older animals are sometimes drugged to make them calmer. Of course, it's different for a farm sanctuary that has domestic animals like pigs or goats. But if a sanctuary permits wild or exotic animals to be passed around to tourists, or cuddled like a pet, it doesn't have the animals' best interests at heart. Go with your gut.

Happy lambs at Edgar's Mission in Australia | Facebook/Edgar's Mission