During the weekend, some of us visited Noah’s Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary (NANAS) in Pekan Nanas, Johore. We have been meaning to visit for a very very long time, as we have heard so much of it and we also wanted to visit with old friends.
All the talk about the land, the freedom, the dogs, yes, they are all true, all unprecedented, beyond imagination and truly a place where an animal lover should visit, at least once in your lifetime.
Picture a place where clouds are blue, land amidst land, green on brown, not a single car in sight, but dogs. Dogs running free, swarming with them. Dogs of all size, big, small, brown, black, beige, white, some breed, many of mixes, some four legs, others three but all bear the same distinguishable marks – waving, wagging tails (if no tails then wagging bums) and contented faces, such happy faces and eyes and long tongues. Happy and excited to see visitors, happy to mingle, happy for the freedom, just happy happy.
Joy is a nice mud bath
Freedom at Noah's Ark - Happily rolling in the mud.
Dogs in every available space.... they just want to be near visitors
A small glimpse of a bigger picture.
Dogs of all imaginable size, shape, color and breed.
But all happy happy faces and tails
If we described it like a place of bliss, it sure is, even to us humans, it truly is a paradise on earth. And we’re just talking about dogs here. Wait till you see the horses, beautiful beautiful glossy and contented looking horses. They were friendly, not nippy, not unhappy but well looked after, all well groomed and statesque in size and height except Melody the small white friendly little pony which all the kids absolutely adore as she is just like their height.
Yummy ! any more carrots or apples? Please? Please....
One of the several beautiful and friendly horses there. They would love your gifts of apples, carrots and fruits.
Friendly and sweet Melody - the children's perpetual favourite as she is just about their height.
Photographs courtesy of N. Carroll & J. Lim
Then there are the cats in the cattery and some in the main lodge but we didn’t manage to spend much time with them as we were so busy playing with the dogs. And there were the rabbits, still in their temporary abode and soon will have their own area where they run and play freely. We are looking forward to that soon. And the lone monkey who grabs each dog’s tail when they got too close. Oh yes, that one was hilarious and mischevious. And the turtles… and the fish.. and the… and it seems as if the list is never-ending.
Cats, cats, glorious cats. Sleek, glossy, tumbling cats
From the small creatrues to the big,
Unusual strays are welcomed. All are precious creatures at Noah'sArk
It does appear that Noah’s Ark is like a place from the garden of Eden where animals and humans live together and roam free – each with their own space, everyone is respected and important in their own right.
How wonderful it is, that in this day and age, one can still find a place where one can not only see but also experience and feel the love given to dogs and cats and all those other animals, tendered so carefully and with so much compassion not for publicity nor credit nor merit but "just because". Yes the ‘just because’ is important as it is unexplainable - it is love that only people who love their pets can understand. A love that does not expect anything in return. That is the heart of Noah’s Ark. The founder and volunteers have carried through the word ‘love and care’ to its fullest understanding. Mankind was given charge to be caretakers of this land and the animals created and Noah’s Ark exemplifies this.
It was a truly fulfilling and inspirational visit and opened not just our eyes but our ears, our hearts and our spirits that it is possible a sanctuary for strays can exist, that the dream is possible. We were filled with stories of dogs, stories that you’d think come from a book but no, true stories that would make you weep and wonder how the spirit of the dog can be strong inspite of the pain and agony it had gone through. Heart wrenching ones, brave ones, stories that man can interpret but who can really tell, through the eyes of the dogs how much more was left unsaid, how much pain and sadness the poor creature went through the rescuers did not or could not have known. We can only guess. Brave creatures each one of them, yet they seem to have overcome and conquered, gone through challenges and trials in their life with a wag and can still smile and love and trust. Amazing creatures, these, wondrously amazing.
We hear of Bobo who was tied at a cementary by a string attached to one of its hind leg. Bobo was left for a long time with no food and no water and no one around. In desperation, she wrenched off her leg and ran out to be later rescued with her leg still tied to the string. She is now 3 legged but she outran the other dogs when we saw her. She is fiesty and active and didn’t look any different from the other dogs except if you saw her on the side without the leg. Sad and aghast and completely angered at the cruelty, yes to hear of her ordeal, sad? But not her. She has got over it. She has a new life thanks to Noah’s Ark and she has survived. She doesn’t seem to feel sorry for herself but she thrives on the love they give her and she is just another happy waggy tail and long tongue we saw that day.
It mattered and hurt us more to see BoBo with three legs, what a cruel shame on mankind to subject such a lovely dog to do an act so desperate and agonising, but it didn’t appear to bother her now as she thrives in the love and care this sanctuary has give her. Here she is one of them, a new family where 2 or 3 or 4 legs does not matter.
Princess, a beautiful German Shepherd given up because she had a hip displacement and her owners abandoned her as she was ‘not up to standard’. She now walks and run normally and loves the children who visit the facility. She takes upon herself to escort the youngest child in the that group and ‘look after’ the child till the group leaves. No. She was never trained to do this. This is an instinctive part of her, to mother the little kids. It came so naturally one day that she had to shepherd the kids - and this coming from a dog once termed as "not up to standard. Never once did we see her leave her charge. Yes she misses having a family we are sure but she can still give love to others she can’t call her own permanently. Every visitor is important to her as she looks to see who is the neediest. What a terrific dog. This dog should have been a ‘Keeper’. People would die for a dog like that. Had the circumstances been different and Princess lived with her own family, a child would not need a body guard nor a best friend as Princess provided all that, giving all her love, her devotion and her protection.
We hear from the volunteers that sometimes when other dogs come near her young charges, she would actually defend them by pining down the intruder dogs. Not hurt them but just warn them to stay away. We were pretty blown away as she accompanied our youngest member everywhere she went. Even when the girl hid to see the reaction, we could see Princess anxiously looking for her, running to and fro.
This is lovely Princess - Loyal, Devoted, Faithful. Children who leave NANAs will carry her vision and love forever in their hearts. This was the ONLY shot of Princess on her own as all our other photos had her sticking close to the children and in this blog, only the animals are featured.
Wonderful place, amazing dogs. We know this will not be our last visit. We only talk of the dogs and we haven’t really met the cats, neither have we made much friends with the horses and rabbits. Yes we need to go back. We have seen a glimpse of paradise and we want more. Do visit Noah’s Ark when you get a chance. It will be a time and place you will not forget.
There is always something a volunteer can do and help. Noah's Ark can also do with more funds for those of you who may not be able to volunteer nor visit but wish to donate to a good cause, as they undertake more sterilisation and education projects. Kudos to them as they spearhead the sterilisation efforts of strays in different parts of Malaysia and Singapore and try change mindsets of people by educating them and transform the lives of the strays.
ADOPTION
Humphrey’s little tale 
Hi there!
I’m Humphrey! I’m a pretty good looking 2 month old, male chocolate cross breed! I’ve got a stunning coat and a brown little snout to boast of. Sadly, things haven’t always been this great! My mummy seems to have been so busy trying to take care of my siblings and I that she lost count of us all eventually. It was raining heavily one night and my naughty little brothers decided to go off into the jungle without me. I chose to stay by mummy under some shelter. It was cold and I was hungry! The next day, none of my siblings came back. I was all alone. Thankfully, the next afternoon, I was picked up by a couple who feeds my mummy. Sadly, they can’t keep me for long, however, I definitely would like to have a home. Plus, I’ve got tonnes of kisses to share and loads of love to give! If you’re thinking of taking me home, please call @ 97937162 or christine_ravi@yahoo.com.sg Teardrops for Adoption
Estimated 3 to 4 month old Teardrops
Teardrops so named so because she has the saddest look in her eyes with black vertical lines all the way down and a white coloured body with a brown head, so imperfectly mix match to be perfect. Poor, pitiful TearDrops found roaming alone in the western part of Singapore. Where she came from, her litter, her mom, no one knows.
Estimated to be three to four months old, she seemed out of place in an area where the big adult strays roam. She was crying and whining as she roamed aimlessly and as our feeder gave her some food, she accepted it but a little skittish and wary still of strangers as she has probably been subject to kicks. The adult strays there have tried their bullying on her, some even humping her and helpless Teardrops can only sit and whimper piteously as she can't run faster than them.
With no plans for now and no support yet, the feeder will carry on feeding Teardrops but it will be good if someone can help to adopt this pup onsite. For those who are interested in fostering, do email. There are no plans yet on how to approach this and the next few weeks will be spent on attempting to build a trust between Teardrops and feeder.
If you have a place in your home for pitiful Teardrops, please email: trlytru@yahoo.com.sg.
Tribute to Davee
As some of you may know, Davee passed away 16 February at 6.43 am after a brave fight and struggle with an aggressive form of cancer and tick fever. Though most of us have not met her, and the regret was ours, she was a lovely, sweet dog with wonderful and patient temperament. It was her beautiful eyes that captured her spirit and her wagging tail that embodies her brave soul. It is because of her happy tail that spurred her rescuers to fight on, that if she never gave up, how could they, how could we.Recently it was discovered that Davee was a lot older than we thought. She was at least 8 years old, for a fact and maybe even more. We had always asked ourselves before, why, what reason can it be that a dog who is rescued for a better life, for a loving home to be adopted to, instead succumbed to a deadly illness leaving those who have grown to love her in tears and sorrow. Now that we know Davee’s age, we understand that Davee was indeed rescued, but rescued so that she could die in the arms of those who love her - that she would be loved in her last weeks, her last days, her last moments.
All of our dogs will die one day, our cats, our pets, even ourselves. But the question is not about the death but what happens at their end. It is not important about her beginnings and her sadness, whether she had enough attention or love during the major part of her life. Of course it hurts to think back how she must have felt however, what is important is that at the end of the race, there was someone there for her, to hold her and tell her that she is beautiful and let her feel so loved and precious, so that she would die with her head held high in dignity and respect.
Thank you N, J, R and Mum for giving Davee that pride. You have restored her self-worth and confidence. You have made her ending much more fulfilling than her beginning. Her race started sad and slow but it ended well - she was at peace and she was ready. So at the end, God is great. Davee was rescued for a reason. And so it is, in the fullness of time, God's timing, that man may not comprehend at first but God is always in control.
And the different people she has impacted during her illness is one quite unimaginable. People from different walks of life, from different groups, never meeting before coming together to show unanimous support to her, to N and J who have stood by her and fought this battle as bravely as they could. Their fight was not for naught but for a reason, that it is possible to unite for a common cause. That it is indeed love that has brought all together. It does not matter who Davee belonged to, neither does it matter that most of us never got a chance to meet her nor N nor J but what matters is that there is a dog community out here, a cat community (and other animals besides these) and the suffering of one does touch our hearts and that Singaporeans are not as uncaring as some make us out to be.
Davee was an exceptional dog, in more ways than one. Thank you Davee for gracing us with your presence. You have taught us more than we have you.
It mattered and hurt us more to see BoBo with three legs, what a cruel shame on mankind to subject such a lovely dog to do an act so desperate and agonising, but it didn’t appear to bother her now as she thrives in the love and care this sanctuary has give her. Here she is one of them, a new family where 2 or 3 or 4 legs does not matter. 
Hi there!
As some of you may know, Davee passed away 16 February at 6.43 am after a brave fight and struggle with an aggressive form of cancer and tick fever. Though most of us have not met her, and the regret was ours, she was a lovely, sweet dog with wonderful and patient temperament. It was her beautiful eyes that captured her spirit and her wagging tail that embodies her brave soul. It is because of her happy tail that spurred her rescuers to fight on, that if she never gave up, how could they, how could we.
No comments:
Post a Comment