Liberal atmosphere in animal shelter (4)
I believe the answer is:
lair
'animal shelter' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'liberal atmosphere' is the wordplay.
'liberal' becomes 'l' (abbreviation).
'atmosphere' becomes 'air' (synonyms).
'l'+'air'='LAIR'
'in' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for lair that I've seen before include "Supposed large ape, the Bigfoot" , "Den of a wild animal" , "Wild animal's place of refuge" , "Rail about wild animal's home" , "Burrow" .)