Friendship with the Animals

A meaningful one word summary to describe my Noah’s Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary (NANAS) experience would be “Wonderful”. The word alludes to the fact of the presence of nature and animals, all living in one place in harmony which elicits the feelings of wonder, astonishment and extra ordinariness. 

That is  me with Princess taken in 2009.

As an animal lover, it is an unforgettable experience and my most memorable experience previously was bonding with Princess, the German Shepherd who has sadly passed on.

I felt the sense of freedom that the animals were entitled to at Noah's Ark as the animals were allowed to run free with the horses across the sprawling grounds of the sanctuary. I observed that they engage in various fun activities such as rolling in the mud for a refreshing afternoon spa and playing among themselves. Judging from the animals, I can tell that Princess was happy throughout the days she spent at the sanctuary.

My sanctuary experience begun on 29 September 2014 when my cousins and I visited the Noah's Ark as we love animals very much.  Other than just having cats and dogs, the sanctuary also have ex-race horses which have the privilege to retire amidst the love and care that are shown to them daily.

When I saw the horses, I was afraid and intimidated as horses were huge and they towered over me like giants. Uncle Clement, a Noah's Ark volunteer showed me the proper way to approach the horses and to feed them. He showed me Canto-Pop, a small and energetic dog that was chasing the horses without hesitation. Despite my apprehension, he patiently encouraged me to feed the horses and pet them to gain their trust. Soon I started to have more courage to interact with them and to me; they were gentle giants with a renewed personality that came with their freedom.

My cousins and I are grateful to Uncle Raymund and the volunteers for making our stay a memorable and learning experience in teaching us to care for animals, big or small and to connect with them on a personal level which is with our hearts.

I was elated that I made friends with Prisma and even tried horse-riding.  My cousins and I enjoyed interacting with the sanctuary’s many animals and were grateful for the opportunity to see the animals.  

We would definitely visit again if we could!

By Jacqueline Loo