Claws, Inc. was formally started in July of 2004, however, most of us were rescuing animals privately for many years prior to that.  Those of us who are involved and started CLAWS were all involved in other rescues prior to deciding to start our own organization.  We realized that there were so many animals out there that were left out of most other rescues and we could help them and make a difference.  Everybody involved has many years of experience with both exotic and wild animals.

Because our facilities are located on private property, we are not open to the public, all of our educational programs are done on an outreach basis.

Our outreach programs incorporate live animals as a means to educate people of all ages.  Our founder, Kindra Mammone, comes from generations of family who have lived with and rehabilitated many exotic and wildlife species, and therefore has spent a lifetime working with exotic animals and rehabilitating wildlife.  She has been educating people, with various organizations, about both exotic species and native wildlife for over two decades.  She has worked with species ranging from tigers and other large cats to squirrels.

People tend to fear what they do not understand and to destroy what they fear.  For this reason, the intent of our programs is to create a positive learning encounter for the participants and send them away with a better understanding of the animals with which we share our planet.  Through interactive learning and participation, we strive to dispel myths about native wildlife, pass on safety tips for living safely in harmony with wildlife in your back yard, stress the importance of species conservation and to impress upon people what an incredible responsibility it is to take in any pet. Many animals, especially exotic animals, look very interesting and fun, but often have very special and difficult to fulfill needs or are simply not that easy to live with.

Each of our animals has a story to tell.  Many came from places where they were either abused or neglected due to the previous owner's lack of understanding of the species.  Others are native wildlife that were taken in for the purpose of rehabilitation and release back into the wild, but were determined to be non-releasable for differing reasons.  And some are simply here because we feel that these species are important to our environment and that it is important for people to learn about them.  However they came to CLAWS,  they now reside at our facility and help us to educate people about the world around them.

We have found that, no matter the setting or the focus,  the opportunity to interact with the animals has the greatest impact on understanding their importance and place in our world. Seeing them, interacting with them, (for those species where this activity is safe) and watching them interact with us, gives people an understanding about the animals that you just can’t get from books or television.

We believe that "putting a face on" the issue, makes that issue more real and important to people.  Our programs are fun, personal and interactive.  We hope that everybody walks away with a new, better or different understanding of some of the issues faced by many different species in this world.  As well as feeling that they have made a new furry friend or two.

Many of the species that we bring to our programs have never been heard of by those attending our programs.  Some are actually so rare that they are almost extinct in the wild.  Most of our animals are not considered domestic animals, and in some cases, interaction is not allowed, for the safety of the animals as well as the participants.  However, we do bring at least one animal to every program that can be touched and interacted with by the participants.