Friday, 22 May 2009

Camera Critters - Animal Ark


Camera Critters


In the last three weeks, I've been out to Animal Ark, twice, on field trips with kids from school.

First time was a group of second graders.

The second time was with about 90 kindergarten kids. That was .... interesting ! We managed not to lose any, despite the kids best efforts...

Animal Ark is an animal sanctuary, near Reno. It takes in animals that for whatever reason, can not be released back into the wild.

For many or our kids, it is the first time and possibly one of the only times, that they will see real, live animals of the type that are at Animal Ark.

While I would much rather see animals like this, wild and free ... they do serve as a valuable teaching tool for these kids.

(Click on any photo to get a better view)

This is Effie, an Artic Fox.

She was raised by humans but escaped from her owners. After a short stay with a Wildlife Rehabilitator she went to a wildlife park. however, she did not do to well with the other foxes.

She then came to Animal Ark, where she has lived quite happily in her big enclosure..


Another sot of Effie, taken on this weeks visit.


As you can see, she has a very sweet face and was very curious about us...


Meet Tonka, the mountain lion..

Tonka was bred to be trained for films, studio work and magic tricks. As he got older it became clear that he was not suited for this work.

Unfortunately, the usual fate of animals deemed to be unsuitable, is euthanization.

Fortunately , in Tonka's case, Animal Ark agreed to take him in.


One of the three cheetahs at Animal Ark. I think this one is Zulu.

I believe she came to Animal Ark from a private breeding facility. She has helped raise over a million dollars for cheetahs in the wild.


These two may be Moyo and Jamar. They came to Animal Ark for the De Wildf Cheetah and Wildlife Trust in South Africa.

They take part in educational programs, a running program that hopefully will help exercise other captive cheetahs and as Animal Ambassadors.

Now go to CAMERA CRITTERS and join in the fun.

34 comments:

Snap said...

Wonderful photos and what a wonderful place the Animal Ark must be.

Ladynred said...

Interesting Fox! These are beautiful animals.

Janie said...

Great shots and a great way to introduce the kids to these animals. The photos of the arctic fox are very cool.

Anonymous said...

Great shots! And while I agree with you that it's much better to see them in the wild, these animals are better off here than with the ill-informed people who took on more than they could handle with their trendy exotic pets.

i beati said...

you rarely see the arctic fox in all its special beauty..sandy

Indrani said...

It must be so interesting each visit. You have such lovely shots!

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

Such an amazing place. Effie reminds me of a cute eskimo dog.
How lucky you are to live so close to such a great place.

~Lisa

Monica said...

Effie is beautiful. It sounds like you were kept on your toes while there.

Thanks for sharing!

Deborah Godin said...

I'm always happy to hear of facilities like this, and hope they continue to survive themselves in the current economy!

Cezar and Léia said...

Aw, that arctic fox is soooooo cute! Could not even imagine there exists such a white fox... Like the other shots too, including those cousins of mine!
Purrs
Luna ( and mommy Léia )

said...

Absolutely breathtaking!

Dianne said...

Effie sure does have a sweet face
I love that places like Animal Ark exist - there is a sanctuary near me that I support

My son would have been the one to disappear, he was a terror in summer camp ;)

Mom Knows Everything said...

The fox is so cute!!!

Sharon said...

Very nice sanctuary! Thanks for sharing all these photos with us:)

Kate said...

The white fox is beautiful. So good that she found a home!

Anonymous said...

They're all such beautiful animals & I love their names, so creative!

DeniseinVA said...

Beautiful animals. I'm glad they found a good home at Animal Ark.

BLS said...

Great post and photos. I like the artic fox Ive never seen a white fox before.

Villas Girl said...

Glad that no child was lost. I'm sure you were exhausted by the end of the day.
I love you critter for today. I am glad that there are safe places like this for these animals. Lisa

Chris H said...

What a lovely place.

nazeee said...

its amazing how humans influence the wild... good or bad

jabblog said...

Beautiful photos. I particularly like the Arctic Fox shots.
Good, too, that children have the opportunity to see 'real' animals.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful shots! And beautiful animals - it is a bit of pity to see animals so far from their natural home, but if they were born in captivity, the next best thing is that people should learn from them. That's a lovely shot of the arctic fox - she's such a bundle of fur!

The stone carvings are typical Pictish designs and many can be found throughout Scotland. The usual dates are 1200-1800 years old. So old, but not that old! I too love looking at things made long, long ago - I always wonder if the reason they were made was so that 1000s of years later, we could look at them?

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Karen: What beautiful animals you saw, that fox is a gem.

Kit Aerie-el said...

They all look so cute and cuddly!
Glad they have such a good home.

jenn said...

What beautiful animals, and to be able to help others, that's wonderful.

Tina said...

oh the fox is just beautiful. i want him as a pet!

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

Great shots of the critters. I really liked the artic fox and the cheetahs.

Cats of Wildcat Woods said...

Love the artic fox - he seems very curious. Nice place for the animals to live out their lives.

Susan Cook said...

Beautiful artic fox. I've never seen one of those. The animal park seems like a great place, that's great they are helping rescue all those animals.

storyteller's other blog said...

Marvelous critter photos this week! How wonderful to have such a place nearby to visit.
Hugs and blessings,

Samantha ~ Holly and Zac ~ said...

The Animal Ark sounds a lovely place to visit.

The animals look quite content there.

Allison said...

This is an amazing post, Thanks for sharing. The pictures are all awesome. Would you mind telling me where by Reno this is? I would love to go there and do a check it out thing myself. Sounds like a wonderful place! Ya just can't help but think that fox is adorable, eh? Great shots. I would love to go there. I make it to Reno probably 6 times a year. Thanks
Allison also known as Moon-Writer

Manz said...

The white fox is an amazing creature! I think of the movie "White Fang" when I look at that beauty. You could always show the kids that movie... but I think movies should be the last resort for education!

+ Nothing beats seeing somthing in the flesh.

I also agree about how great the Ark is - for both the kids and the animals that have no options.

It's a terrific cc post. Great for awareness.