Animal Ark, the wildlife sanctuary in North Reno, is opening for a special winter weekend this Saturday and Sunday. It's a chance for visitors to see the animals during the off season.
"If we're looking at animals during this time of year, they have beautiful winter coats," said Diana Hiibel, Co-Founder of Animal Ark. "They're not used to seeing people coming in consistently, so they're a bit more active. It's just a really great time to visit the Animal Ark.
The Sanctuary takes in injured and orphaned animals - everything from tortoises to cheetahs - that are unable to survive in the wild. And there's no telling what kind of animal they might be called to rescue next.
"Our smallest animal would actually be our kit fox, she's less than four pounds," Hiibel said. "And our largest animal would be kind of rivaling between the tigers and the bears."
Here, you can learn about wildlife and habitat - the main message, one of conservation.
"This is something that is going to inspire people," Hiibel said. "Looking toward the future, so much habitat is being destroyed. There's a lot going on in the wild that we need to be aware of to protect our native wildlife. That is the bottom line - let's protect our native wildlife that these guys are ambassadors for here at the Animal Ark.
The next time the nonprofit will open to the public is for an invitation-only event in April.
"Our sponsors night is open to people who have sponsored the animals and our members," Hiibel said. "They are invited to come and bring treats for the animals, to hear the stories we have to share about the individuals who are here, it's a fun time."
Membership and sponsorship opportunities will be available at the door of that event.
Full Schedule of Events: https://www.animalark.org/
