Mission-Driven  |  Non-Profit | Public Education

Lions Tigers and Bears Oh My

Lions Tigers & Bears Exotic Animal Sanctuary, Alpine, CA Project: Integrated social media and media relations strategy to boost local exposure, fundraising, and national thought leadership in wild animal advocacy Role: Strategic Communications Lead (Jon Myers / TerraPulse Communications)

Public Awareness Campaigns | Media Relations  | Social Media

The Challenge

As San Diego’s only accredited big cat and exotic animal sanctuary, Lions Tigers & Bears provides lifelong care for rescued lions, tigers, bears, and other animals on a expansive, natural-habitat facility. While excelling in rescue, rehabilitation, and education, the organization needed greater visibility to:

  • Increase local and regional awareness and visitation
  • Raise critical funds for ongoing animal care
  • Establish a stronger voice in national conversations around wild animal welfare and issues making headlines

The sanctuary faced a competitive nonprofit landscape where authentic stories often get overshadowed by sensationalism.

The Strategy

Objectives:

  • Build an engaged social media following to spread the sanctuary’s mission
  • Drive local exposure and donor support
  • Position the sanctuary director as a credible thought leader in wild animal advocacy
  • Leverage timely national issues to elevate the organization’s profile and impact

Jon developed a disciplined, mission-aligned communications strategy that treated social media and earned media as interconnected tools for authority-building. Working closely alongside leadership, the approach focused on authentic storytelling, interactivity, and strategic timing—connecting daily sanctuary life to broader advocacy goals.

Key elements:

  • Social-First Engagement: Designed an interactive strategy to humanize the animals and build community.
  • Thought Leadership Amplification: Leveraged national headlines on exotic animal issues to insert the sanctuary’s expertise into timely conversations.
  • Integrated Execution: Aligned owned social channels with earned media for maximum reach and credibility.

Execution

  • Social Media Strategy: Launched a new Facebook page and created a dedicated Twitter (X) account for the sanctuary’s resident black bear, @LibertytheBear. Liberty “authored” engaging tweets about himself, fellow residents, daily life at the sanctuary, and facility news—creating a fun, personality-driven voice that built authentic follower growth and shares across the social sphere.
  • Media Relations & Advocacy: Monitored national headlines on wild animal issues and proactively pitched stories. Collaborated with writers and producers to position the sanctuary director as a go-to expert and strong voice in wild animal advocacy. This secured consistent earned media placements at both local and national levels.
  • Content & Storytelling: Focused on rescue stories, animal enrichment, sanctuary operations, and advocacy messages to drive emotional connection and calls-to-action for donations and visits.

Results

 

The campaign successfully elevated Lions Tigers & Bears’ profile:

  • Built a growing, engaged social media following through interactive, animal-led content on platforms like the new Facebook page and @LibertytheBear.
  • Increased local regional exposure and positioned the sanctuary as a trusted resource.
  • Secured multiple earned media placements—locally and nationally—for the director, amplifying the organization’s voice in wild animal welfare debates.