A Place where Art, Colours and Animals Move as One

Noah’s Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary (NANAS) is situated in Johor Bahru, Malaysia which is a 30 minutes drive from the Singapore customs. For me it was a great start of a fun day despite some delays and we had a good yet simple vegetarian meal to kick-start the day. After lunch, we started to proceed to the sanctuary. I went with an open mind, not knowing what to expect as it would mark my first visit to the sanctuary.

I have lived in Hong Kong for most of my life and I am so use to the hustle and bustle of the city. My only experience with animals was when I was 8 years old which was a trip to the Hong Kong Zoo with my parents. 

One day before the sanctuary’s visit, I had attended Rosina’s Animal Communication Workshop which made me rediscover my love for art and the beauty of colours. I had stopped doing art since I was young, but through the workshop I am able to rekindle my passion to draw, write and even learn to communicate with animals with the guidance of Rosina.

Prior to visiting Noah's Ark, I was apprehensive due to knowing that there would be many animals running around within the sanctuary’s grounds and that I was bitten by a dog when I was young which intensified my fears and phobia. Rosina gave me some advice to calm my fears which was not to make eye contact with the dogs when I entered and to go in with a positive mindset. 

However, when I entered the sanctuary, I was greeted by the barking of the dogs but I was overcome with a sense of peace and serenity, instead of fear. The animals were all well maintained, clean and love by the other animals and workers at the sanctuary. The main lodge where Raymund Wee, the founder of NANAS lived ignited the artist in me. It had paintings and figurines of animals and religious artefacts that was similar to that of a European-Chinese art museum. 

I was filled with joy and happiness to see nature and animals co-existing together as I begun a tour of the sanctuary with Rosina and the group. I took many photographs for keepsake and I was tasked by Rosina to try and communicate with the animals. Animal communication is similar to that of talking and meeting a new friend and I had only mutual respect and confidence in communicating with the sanctuary’s many animals. Also, I had the opportunity to interact with the sanctuary animals from horses, snakes, dogs and cats.

Moreover, I was overcome with a wave of emotions when I found out the identity of my guided animal. He is Gerry the wild boar and he is in need of a bigger enclosure to roam around. I did a drawing of him and that it dawn on me that he is upset due to the limited space. It is my duty to support him to contribute funds to build for him a bigger enclosure where he can roam freely.

After two hours of excitement and taking in the sights of the sanctuary, I retired to the lodge for a short nap as I was exhausted emotionally. The lodge gave me feelings of peace and that it was a moment in time where nobody would judge, question and remind me of my duties as a person. I felt truly blessed to be in the company of such tranquillity with the surroundings and the animals.

Soon, it was 5 p.m. which marked the end of the tour. In my heart, I did not want to leave and wanted to stay on. But knowing the amount of effort and energy needed to maintain the place, I was not ready for that yet. From this trip, I took away a great experience in my life which helped me overcome my fears and to know that life is indeed beautiful. I hope that many people would get a chance visit the sanctuary to observe the unique blend of art, colours and animals in one place. Also, do continue to support the various fundraising projects for the animals and the sanctuary to continue their daily operations and to know that you have made a difference in their lives by helping in one way or another.

A group photo with my new friends from Singapore.

By: Yeshma Sawlani (Hong Kong)  

Noah's Ark Fund Dinner with Rosina, Animal Communicator & Your Fur Kids

Proceeds from the dinner will go towards the upkeep of the 600 dogs, 300 cats, 10 horses, 3 monkeys, 1 wild boar and many small animals at the sanctuary.

Seats are limited, please register early with Lynda at email with the following details:

Registration details:

Name:
Hp:
Email:

No. of Adults:	X	_____	X	$70	=	$
No. of Fur Kids	X	_____	X	$25	=	$

Fur Kids Details:

Name:
Breed:

Menu for Adults 

4 course dinner (Soup, Starter, Main Course & Dessert)

Please select your main course:

·        Spring Chicken   or	Qty:  ____
·        Vegetarian Angel Hair Pasta with         Braised Tofu	Qty:  ____

Fur Kids Menu

·        Beef   or	Qty:  ____
·        Chicken	Qty:  ____

Franciscan Priests blessed 1000 animals at Noah’s Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary

8 November 2013, Franciscan Priests from the church of St Mary of the Angels were invited to bless Noah’s Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary (NANAS) in Johor Bahru.

The sanctuary came about through Mr Raymund Wee, a catholic whose vision was to give hope to abandoned and abused animals. He started to build this special place in Singapore in 1995. 

However, in the year 2000, the tender for the renewed lease of land at Jalan Kayu was unsuccessful. The ark was relocated to Malaysia and is home to 600 dogs, 300 cats, 9 horses, 4 monkeys and 9 rabbits that have been rescued.

The blessing of animals at the church of St Mary of the Angels has a rich 10 year history according to Franciscans priests, Fr John-Paul Tan (OFM, JCL, Chancellor) and Fr John Derrick Yap (OFM). The yearly tradition coincides with the feast day of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology and animals.

Darren (left) introducing Huggy Boy a gibbon to Fr John-Paul 

Fr Derrick blessing the cats.

The priests were on hand to lead in the first official blessing of the animals at the sanctuary together with Catholic parishioners from Singapore.

Raymund checking on Chun Doong's teeth

Mr Raymund Wee, founder of Noah's Ark says, “The blessing is a good eye-opener and it shows that people still care for animals.”  Adding on he says with a laugh, “The purpose is to bless the animals so that they can forgive the humans for their wrong-doings to them.”

Being true animal lovers, Fr John-Paul believes that, “The animals are very lucky to have such a place.”  At Noah's Ark, the animals are free to roam the sanctuary and food, water and medical treatments are provided for them. Fr Derrick added that, “It is amazing to see the close relationships that the animals enjoy with each other, even the three-legged ones.”  However, most animals at Noah's Ark have troubled pasts where they are subjected to cruelty. Fr John-Paul says, “ Having an animal is a stewardship, if you can’t take care of it, pass it on to someone else who will continue to care for it.”

Animals are also referenced in the bible such as the book of Genesis and the story of Noah’s Ark. The Christian significance of the blessing is to remind people to always respect, love and care for animals.

Fr Derrick with Cinzano, ex dressage horse.

Fr Derrick stressed that St Francis of Assisi, believed in a common fatherhood, where all creation are brothers and sisters. All creation is to bless God together. The Christian message of the blessing serves as a reminder for Christians to love God’s unique creation.  

Ms Linda Shaw, a parishioner from the church of St. Ignatius says, “The blessing was a wonderful experience and has helped us renew our faith as Christians to love animals.” Adding on she says, “We must look after God’s creation.”

A natural environment for the animals to call home. 

The inspiration behind the name of Noah's Ark came from the bible where Noah was asked to build the ark to house the animals and his family. This was done according to God’s plan to save them from the great flood. Similarly, the ark was built with the purpose to help animals in need and protect them from harm.

Rosina giving Snoopy a pat. 

Ms Rosina Maria Arquati, an animal communicator who is vegan, a catholic and attends the church of St. Joseph (Hong Kong) remarks, “It is an uplifting, inspiring and calming spiritual experience to see the animals being blessed.”  Adding on she says, “In the bible, God gave us domain over the animals, it shows that God trusts us with them.”  Therefore we have the utmost responsibility to care for the animals.

Oso a GR Retriever showing off to our visitors that he can swimm.

Cats watching the dogs swim at their balcony.

Mr Raymund Wee also shares that he relies on a Christian song, “One Day at a time, Sweet Jesus”, which is written by the late Patsy Cline to get him through the trials and tribulations that he faces in running the sanctuary.  The meaningful lyrics of the song he shares is to live one day at a time, pray consistently and to ask for God’s continued grace and strength to help him, one step at a time.

The beauty of the ark can be seen in the sacrifices where no animal is turned away and are able to have the freedom and shelter they deserve. By respecting God’s creatures great and small, the world would be a better and humane society for us, God’s children to co-exist with God’s creatures. For stories and updates about the ark, please like our page at facebook.com/noahsarkcares. 

Written by Darren Chan Keng Leong

Franciscan friars bless animals in relocated sanctuary in JB

by Darren Chan

Source: Catholic News
Date: 1 December 2013

The Street is Not Their Home

This video was put together by Jessica Chia and Roy Ng of Chapman University Singapore as part of their final year 2013 graduation project. 

We would like to thank everyone for making this video possible and for us to share the plight of our animals and the sufferings that they go through.

The dogs featured are Topaz is a rescued Bull Dog.  He was neglected from receiving medical treatment from his owner and the owner abandoned him at the vet clinic.

Big Ben is a Bassett Hound, he was found abandoned at a car park, under the hot sun in Malacca.  When we brought him back to Noah's Ark, we discovered why he was abandoned - click the video to find out why.