June 30, 2008

Emma Garrard/North Lake Tahoe Bonanza
Just northwest of the glow of downtown Reno and about 50 miles from Incline, wolves bay, bears growl and cheetahs run free at Animal Ark, a 38-acre wildlife sanctuary and nonprofit nature center.

The facility houses more than 30 "non-releasable" wild animals, including several endangered or protected species.

Animal Ark's mission is to provide awareness and appreciation of nature through educational experiences with wildlife in their natural environments.

"We call it recreational education," said Diane Hiibel, co-founder of Animal Ark. "While you are visiting the animals you are also learning the importance of these animals."

Animals housed at Animal Ark include wolves, bears, bobcats, cheetahs, coyotes, fox, lions, leopards, tortoises and a lynx.

Stan Thomas, an Incline resident and vice president of Animal Ark, has been involved with the sanctuary since 2000.

"(Animal Ark) has a greater purpose than just taking care of animals," Thomas said. "They do a good job of working with predator species and explaining their importance for the ecosystem."

Others were also quick to note the nonprofit's mission.

"Animal Ark is not a Zoo," co-founder Hiibel said. "We are committed to care for the animals for the rest of their lives because they cannot return to the wild."

Animal Ark's mission is to replicate each animals' natural environment and habits. It is one of the few facilities with the ability to exercise cheetahs at high speeds.

"There have been problems with mortality (of cheetahs) in captive situations," Thomas said.

Hiibel said she has already seen improvement in the health of Animal Ark's three fast cats due to increased exercise.

"The severity of their diseases are less," Hiibel said. "But it's going to take a number of years to see all the results."

There are less than 12,000 cheetahs in the world, so keeping them healthy is critical to Animal Ark's mission, Hiibel said.

"One of the privileges we have living in Incline is living in close proximity with animals and in a fully functioning ecosystem," Thomas said. "We should appreciate the animals."


For more information on Animal Ark, visit www.animalark.org or call (775) 970-3111.