Readers of the Port Arthur News will recognize the name Chester Moore.

Moore’s animal stories and his wildlife photos have been staples in the paper for years and his wildlife journalism has taken him around the world and into oceans.

But Moore’s been working on something a bit more ambitious even than diving with sharks.

Moore calls The Kingdom Zoo Wildlife Center a micro-zoo, but it is more than that. The nonprofit is a place for kids who are hurting to come and heal a bit with animals. The organization also does Christian outreach, working with vacation Bible schools and other groups, sharing rare and exotic animals with kids who would never otherwise see the creatures up close and personal. And, for those who need it, Moore arranges trips to exotic animal sanctuaries across the state, enabling children who are facing terminal illnesses or other hardships a chance to meet a giraffe or something else.

These days the Kingdom Zoo houses 95 species of 115 animals and that includes mammals, birds, reptiles and spiders and with the critters, Moore and his wife, have been touching lives.

“We’ve been doing our ministry for five years and the Kingdom Zoo Wildlife Center itself was opened three years ago and our mission is to bring the redeeming love of Christ to children through wildlife encounters,” said Moore. “We work with children who are orphans in foster care or kids who have been abused and neglected and who have terminal illnesses and who are disenfranchised.”

Though his zoo may be micro, the animals are as bright—and as loud—as any at a full sized zoo.

“We’ve got the loudest birds in the world,” Moore said, pointing to a monk parrot and sun conures, a type of parakeet.

The critters come from a variety of places though after the Tropical Storm Harvey flood Moore said he got a few donations, including the sun conures.

Moore said the children’s natural curiosity in the animals can help children in a time of need.

“We’ve seen some breakthroughs with children because of a particular animal,” Moore said. “One little girl from north Texas, she was going through a whole lot. Her father had died and it was a tragic situation. She came in and it really helped turn her life around for the positive. Her family was rejuvenated because of it.”

Moore program offers a safe space where they can experience rare animals safely and where caring adults surround them.

“At the same time we teach children about wildlife conservation and preservation,” he said. “For a kid to see something in reality and to touch it and look at it in real life’s amazing.”

Moore pointed out that he had a happy childhood, but he remembers going to the Sea-Arama in Galveston and being enthralled by petting a python.

“It was like I won the lottery and I wasn’t abused or neglected,” he said.

The Moores also offer some children a chance to see much bigger animals than he has through his Wild Wish parties.

“It is for kids who have lost a parent or who have terminal illness or have lost a sibling,” he said.

So far, they’ve taken 43 kids out to wildlife preserves to visit creatures like a giraffe, a wolf, a zebra, a sea lion, a python and more.

Moore said even for a veteran wildlife journalist, these encounters are amazing.

“I’ve been cage diving with great white sharks and I have had crazy wildlife encounters but encountering a giraffe and having a giraffe come up to your face is amazing,” he said.

Recently, the Moores made the leap to dedicate themselves fulltime to the Kingdom Zoo project. Chester has cut back his journalism duties and his wife also quit her job teaching high school to focus on the ministry.

“I’ve been doing this wildlife journalism stuff for 25 and something had to give,” he said, referring to his schedule. “My wife quit her job 19 years teaching in high school and we took a $40,000 year pay cut to do this more effectively. But we believe that God will make up for it and he has so far.”

Though, he added, the tropical storm was no help. Though Moore saved all but one animal and relocated, he said donations have dipped since the storm.

“Donations are way down right now,” he said. “Everyone is focused on getting everything back on track.”

However, the Moores are hopeful as the community gets rebuilt that donations will come back up. The couple plans to expand their operation and serve even more kids and to do that they need donations.

“The only thing holding us back now from other stuff is funding,” he said. “We have space now. And so there will be some more stuff coming up next year. We don’t want to miss any kids,” he said.

To find out more about the project or to donate, visit thekingdomzoo.com or check out the operation on Facebook.