Imagine that you received a few hundred hectares of land anywhere in the world. You carefully exchange any non-indigenous plants with native ones, recreating an environment where a variety of animals can live, including dozens of endangered species. Some of these endangered animals were victims of human violence or were found wounded and many of them were saved from illegal trade. In Sanctuary: Endangered Species, each of you will create a sanctuary for different endangered animal species. With the help of volunteers and rangers you will develop your facility, take care of your animals, and recreate their natural habitat as you try to save them from the impacts of civilization. You will maintain order and monitor animal's behavior – everything to ensure that the animals in your sanctuary are happy and safe.

The Sanctuary: Endangered Species is a worker placement game. At the beginning of each round, you lay out a row of cards each of which has a main action and side action. Players take turns placing their workers on those cards in order to perform actions. Each worker "sees" and can perform their main action and any side actions that are within their line of sight, which is limited by other workers and by obstacles printed on the cards. These actions help you to find new animals and improve their living conditions. The key is to choose the right card at the right moment and to perform your available actions in the most efficient order.

—description from the publisher