Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

nonprofit American domestic, wildlife, and exotic animal rescue and rehabilitation center. It is located on 121 acres in

Locust Grove, Georgia Locust Grove is a city in Henry County, Georgia, Henry County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The population was 8,947 in 2020. Some unincorporated area, unincorporated communities such as Luella and many rural areas surround Locus ...

and houses over 170 animals. Many of the center's animals were rescued from unlicensed owners, donated by circuses and zoos, or surrendered by individuals who were either unable to provide the proper care or did not want them.

History

Founded by Jama and Charles Hedgecoth in 1978, the center was originally located on a small farm in Ellenwood. In 1990, Noah's Ark moved to a 122-acre property in Locust Grove, Georgia in part through the financial help of an anonymous benefactor. In 1992, they expanded the center to include the Noah's Ark Children Care Home for foster children. This portion of Noah's Ark is no longer in operation.

Animals

In total, Noah's Ark is home to 38 animal enclosures, each of which house a variety of animals that accumulate to over 100 different species. Inhabitants include animals such as

Bengal tiger The Bengal tiger is a population of the ''Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies and the nominate tiger subspecies. It ranks among the largest wild cats alive today. It is estimated to have been present in the Indian subcontinent since the Late ...

American black bear The American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), or simply black bear, is a species of medium-sized bear which is Endemism, endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. It is an omnivore, with ...

porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp Spine (zoology), spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two Family (biology), families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New ...

s, Sulcata tortoises, silver foxes. A majority of the enclosures are located to the

east East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...

of the sanctuary entrance and are easily walkable along the paved trails. While visiting Noah's Ark, the experience is typically self-guided so visitors can explore at their own pace, but guided tours are available as well. Most of the animal enclosures are marked with name tags and contain information pertaining to that specific animal.

BLT

In 2001, the center acquired a trio of captive young animals (a bear cub, a lion cub, and a tiger cub) after they were confiscated from a convicted drug dealer during a raid at an

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

home. The three cubs were brought to Noah's Ark by the

Georgia Department of Natural Resources The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is an administrative agency of the U.S. state of Georgia. Structure The agency has statewide responsibilities for managing and conserving Georgia’s natural, cultural, and historical resource ...

with many health problems. When the animals were separated for treatment, the caretakers noticed a change in their behavior. The bonded cubs, collectively known as BLT (Bear-Lion-Tiger), had been housed together in a special exhibit called "The Clubhouse" following their recovery.

Baloo

Baloo was a male American black bear weighing in over 800 pounds. Upon his arrival to Noah's ark, Baloo had to undergo surgery to remove the harness that he had long outgrown. The harness had become so severely ingrown to the extent that his growing body began to form around it, causing much pain. Baloo enjoyed being in the creek that runs along his enclosure or relaxing on the porch connected to the clubhouse. He also enjoyed the occasional

Tootsie Pop A Tootsie Pop (known as Tutsi Chupa Pop in Latin America) is a hard candy lollipop filled with a chocolate-flavored chewy Tootsie Roll candy. They were invented in 1931 by an employee of The Sweets Company of America. Tootsie Rolls had themselve ...

Oreo Oreo (; stylized in all caps) is an American brand of sandwich cookie consisting of two cocoa biscuits with a sweet fondant filling. Oreos were introduced in 1912 by Nabisco, and the brand has been owned by Mondelez International since its me ...

as those are his favorite treats. The last surviving BLT member, Baloo died May 6, 2025. His remains were returned to Noah's Ark, where he will be reunited with the other members of the BLT trio in a memorial at the sanctuary.

Leo

Leo was a male

African lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the tip of its tail. It is ...

that weighed in at 430 pounds. Leo also suffered physically from their treatment prior to arriving at Noah's Ark. He was kept in a cage too small to accommodate his growing frame and as a result, he sustained an abrasion to the nose, leaving behind a slight scar in his later years. In late summer of 2016, caretakers noticed a change in Leo's behavior. During surgery some time later, it was found that Leo's

liver The liver is a major metabolic organ (anatomy), organ exclusively found in vertebrates, which performs many essential biological Function (biology), functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of var ...

had become compromised with a large amount of inoperable tumors. As a result of this discovery on August 11, Leo was put to sleep at the age of fifteen. He was laid to rest in the trio's enclosure where a statue stands in his memory.

Shere Khan

Shere Khan was a male Bengal tiger that weighed in at 360 pounds. Like his brothers, Shere Khan arrived at Noah's Ark extremely

malnourished Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...

and in need of specialized care. He healed quickly and soon grew into his role as the trio's most playful and mischievous sibling. In late 2018, Shere Khan fell ill and in early December it was reported that he was in critical condition. On December 18, he died at 17 and a half years of age as a result of failing body functions. Shere Khan was laid to rest next to his brother, Leo.

Facilities

The sanctuary contains a welcome center, a gift shop, a

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...

, a

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors (Al fresco dining, ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event su ...

area, and a memorial garden.

Gallery

Image:Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary Bengal Tigers.jpg,

Image:Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary Birds.jpg, blue-and-gold macaw Image:Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary Capuchin Monkeys.jpg,

capuchin monkey The capuchin monkeys () are New World monkeys of the subfamily Cebinae. They are readily identified as the "Street organ, organ grinder" monkey, and have been used in many movies and television shows. The range of capuchin monkeys includes some t ...

Image:Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary Peacocks.jpg,

peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...

Image:Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary Reptiles.jpg, American alligator

References

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External links

Official website
501(c)(3) organizations Wildlife rehabilitation and conservation centers Organizations established in 1978 1978 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)