Most high school students volunteer at local establishments such as food pantries and nursing homes. However, Claire Beeler, junior, is not the typical student volunteer.

Beeler began volunteering at Cedar Cove Feline Sanctuary in May of 2015 after her grandmother informed her about the opportunity. It appealed to Beeler because she is interested in being a wolf biologist in the future, and in addition to protecting big cats, Cedar Cove is also home to two wolves.

Cedar Cove is a non-profit organization located in Louisburg, Kan, that cares for endangered cats with the intent of educating the public about their specific behaviors and threats of extinction.

“Most of the animals at Cedar Cove come from other sanctuaries, zoos, or people who thought they could have them as pets,” Beeler said.

They have nine different types of cats including lions, tigers, cougars and bobcats. Beeler’s favorite cat is a black leopard named Pandora because she is “the sweetest cat there.”

Some of Beeler’s responsibilities include cleaning the enclosures, preparing the meat and feeding the smaller cats. They are fed chicken, pork and beef, but “some are picky.”

Beeler’s favorite part about volunteering at Cedar Cove is the fact that it is “away from everyone else.”

In addition to doing something she loves, Beeler is able to pick up some valuable information.

“[I’ve learned] how all of the cats work together and how one population would [potentially] overrule the others,” Beeler said.

Cedar Cove offers tours for those interested in exploring the sanctuary and learning more about the animals. General public admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and children ages 4 to 12; children under 3 are free. Tours are scheduled on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.