Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary is a 250-acre nonprofit facility where over 1,200 different types of exotic animals call home in Locust Grove, Georgia. It originally opened at a different location in1978, before moving to its current location in 1990. It is different than a zoo in that it's a place where rescued animals come to live out the remainder of their lives. Many of these residents are exotic animals that people originally got as pets only to find out that they couldn't handle them. The animals range from tigers to lions, turtles, parrots, bears, wolves, monkeys and even zebras.

The sanctuary is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 12 to 3 p.m. The walking tour of the animals is only open a few hours a day because it's a sanctuary for the animals to relax. Staffers believe it's important for the animals to spend most of their days without a lot of people since for many in the past, people were a source of stress for them.

All the animals at the sanctuary have their own tragic story. Most come in alone but there is an unlikely trio that shares the same story. It includes a 700-pound bear, 500-pound lion and 350-pound tiger that were confiscated from an Atlanta home and now live together.

"They were rescued together as cubs," according to Allison Hedgecoth from the sanctuary. "They were just very bonded. They came from a really sad situation. They were hurt. They were unhealthy. That hard time really made them come together as family. We never separated them. As you can see, they still live together, play together and they love each other." Collectively, the group is known as "The BLT," bear, lion and tiger.

But "The BLT" isn't the only odd pairing at Noah's Ark. There are other such pairings at the Sanctuary, some formed after they arrived there. Another good example is that of a 490-pound tiger and 130-pound bear that are best friends and live together. Little Anne is an American Black bear that was separated from her mother at only 2 months of age and Doc the Bengal tiger was rescued from an overcrowded breeding facility. They were put together so they could have the company of another animal. One night, before falling asleep, Anne climbed on top of Doc and began sucking on his ears, making a humming noise that soothed her right to sleep. They have been inseparable since.

All the animals share a sad story when they come here and all have been rescued in one way or another. They are victims of human greed and impulsiveness to 'own' a wild animal. There are tigers that had never stepped on grass before coming to Noah's Ark. Many of the monkeys there had their teeth pulled or filed by their owners because of their tendency to bite. According to Hedgecoth, "If owners have to remove teeth and claws from an animal, they probably need to reassess whether the animal should be a pet."


Hedgecoth goes on to say, "We don't receive any state or government funding. It costs over $33,000 a month just to feed and provide medical care for our animals." And yet, the organization doesn't charge to tour the facility. Noah's Ark only asks for donations. To donate, either monetarily or with an in-kind donation, check out Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary on the web.


The sanctuary is looking for volunteers, too. They currently have about 250 volunteers, but they are always looking for more. They also have fundraisers at their facility to help raise the money needed to care for these 'forgotten pets'. The sanctuary's next event is the third annual Zebra Dash on Saturday, April 6. The course takes runners around the different habitats at Noah's Ark.

Check out the video below of the sanctuary