Noah's Ark - The Ark of Hope

 

The founder, Raymund Wee, shared about his vision and work.

 

A lovely sanctuary - far away from the madding crowd.

 

Some of the 700 dogs in the Sanctuary. Although there are 10 acres of land, the dogs
like to stay together!

 

The dogs love visitors!

I have wanted to vist Noah's Ark for a long time. Finally I made it a point to participate in the Ark's fund raising dinner. The package included a bus ride to an from Noah's Ark in Pekan Nanas, Johore and back to Singapore as well as a sumptuous seafood dinner.

We waited at the pick up point at Boon Lay MRT Station. There were two busloads of animal lovers. The organisers briefed us on what to expect in the Sanctuary. Wow! What an amazing welcome by so many canines who barked their joy on seeing us. The dogs that were left to run around were sociable. They enjoyed being patted and wagged their tails profusely.

The dogs that are not so sociable are put in cages. Some have just arrived and need time to get used to their new environment. There is a clinic to provide medical attention to sick animals.

There are also 400 cats of different species! These cats are protected by fencing all round. Visitors could enter and play with the cats. There are also 6 horses and some rabbits. A couple of snakes are also placed in huge glass containers.

Raymund has built a lovely shelter which has Balinese design and decor. It is beautiful and cosy. Many of the dogs try to enter as they want attention.

I am amazed by Raymund's passion for his cause. From the Ark's newsletter, I read that fuelled by his love for the strays, Raymund sold off his shop house to set up an animal shelter in Singapore. He transformed Noah's Ark into one of the foremost private animal shelters in Singapore. With increased land rentals, Raymund shifted his operation to Pekan Nanas. Every month, Noah's Ark spends almost $25,000 a month to continue its objectives of reducing the stray population, rescue abandoned, injured and abused animals as well as maintain its 1,100 animals at the Sanctuary. Readers can go into the Ark's Website: www.noahsarkcares.com and www.noahsarklodge.com

Although I was somewhat physically tired when I reached home at night, my spirit was uplifted by all that I had seen .....compassion, kindness and care for our four legged friends. I would definitely like to join the small yet faithful group of volunteers to help out at the Sanctuary in the very near future.

Gan Chau