Franciscan friars bless animals in relocated sanctuary in JB

by Darren Chan

Source: Catholic News
Date: 1 December 2013

The Street is Not Their Home

This video was put together by Jessica Chia and Roy Ng of Chapman University Singapore as part of their final year 2013 graduation project.  

We would like to thank everyone for making this video possible and for us to share the plight of our animals and the sufferings that they go through. 

The dogs featured are Topaz is a rescued Bull Dog.  He was neglected from receiving medical treatment from his owner and the owner abandoned him at the vet clinic.

Big Ben is a Bassett Hound, he was found abandoned at a car park, under the hot sun in Malacca.  When we brought him back to Noah's Ark, we discovered why he was abandoned - click the video to find out why.

Source:  Produced by Jessica androy of Chapman University
Date: 2013

Different Faces

Most of us are familiar with Raymund Wee and know him as the Founder of Noah's Ark. Have you wondered though why he has devoted his life, and continues to do so for the animals? Here's your opportunity to get a deeper insight into this man who has given a big part of his life into making Noah's Ark one of the largest private animal sanctuaries today.

Raymund was featured in "Different Faces", a programme on the Okto channel on TV, on 11 January 2010. "Different Faces" is a series featuring inspirational stories revolving around people from different walks of life. It aims to portray the power within each of us to affect positive changes in the lives of the people close to us and within our community.

In the case of Raymund, you will find out more about how his steadfast passion in leaving a legacy of love for the animals has brought about positive change, not just to the people in our community but importantly, to the animals who need it most.

And if you have yet to visit Noah's Ark, this programme will give you a glimpse into this sanctuary that is home to more than 1,000 animals, and that Raymund calls "home".

We hope through the programme, you will have greater conviction about the work that Raymund and all the volunteers do, with passion and commitment, to ensure that Noah's Ark continues to thrive.

To view behind the scene of the documentary visit http://www.noahsarkcares.blogspot.sg/2010/01/tune-in-to-okto-monday-11th-jan-930pm.html

Source: Okto
Date: 11 January 2010

Visiting a Shangri-La for Animals: Noah's Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary by Supreme Master Television

Mr Raymund Wee, is the Founder of Noah's Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary (NANAS). He built a comfortable home for his rescued friends by selling his shop and house. With the nearly US$1 million in proceeds, he first started his sancturary in 1995. 

The main goal of the sanctuary is to provide a safe, secure haven for residents where they can live out their lives in happiness and with respect and love.

Source:  Supreme Master Television
Date:  Aired on 12 February 2009

City Footprint /城市生命线 on Noah's Ark

City Footprint - Part 1

City Footprint - Part 2

City Footprint - Part 3

Catch a glimpse of Raymund Wee's life, founder of Noah’s Ark, featured on City Footprint.  Over the years, Raymund has sacrificed much time and effort, essentially giving everything to Noah’s Ark. It is his life, his legacy and his steadfast passion which has made Noah’s Ark into one of the largest private animal shelters today.

For those who have not seen the beauty of Noah's Ark, this is a good opportunity for you to see what we are all about. It is also to help you understand the work we do and why we do it so passionately.

To view behind the scene of the documentary, please click here. 

Source: City Footprint / Channel U
Date:  Aired on 13 January 2009

It's raining cats, dogs and even horses

by Chai Mei Ling, New Sunday Times

Source: New Sunday Times
Date: 23 December 2007

Ark De Triumph

By Brenda Goh, The Sunday Times

Source: The Sunday Times

Date: 22 April 2007

Marshes Transformed into Haven by Star Metro

Source: Star Metro

Date: 23 June 2003

Oh, for a home, where the animals roam...

THE former "residents" of Noah's Ark Lodge in Seletar have settled into their new home.

Seven months ago, the animals were moved to Pekan Nanas in Johor Baru.

Now, their home is called just Nanas, or Noah's Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary.

And it has given a new lease of life to some 350 creatures.

It is something like a retirement village for strays and abandoned animals,

mostly dogs and cats.

But Nanas also houses gibbons, chipmunks, peacocks, goats, a pony and an

albino snake.

Mr Raymund Wee, the man behind Noah's Ark, has big plans for the future.

He intends to organise eco-tours for the young and recreation trips for the

elderly.

The new site, almost as big as five soccer fields, is located off Kampong

Choh in Gelang Patah, a quiet town reminiscent of Singapore in the 50s.

Said Mr Wee, 51: "I was initially upset when we had to vacate our site in

Singapore.

"I was worried that the animals would find it difficult to adjust to the

change in environment.

"True enough, some of the elderly animals died during the move... but the rest

are now more or less settled in their new home, and they also have more space

to move about."

The animal-lover plans to build pondoks (huts) for retired and elderly folks

from Singapore to "rough it out" in the natural environment.

Mr Wee said: "In time to come, I will try to organise groups of retired and

elderly folks to come up to the sanctuary.

"They need not help out with the physical work like bathing the dogs or

washing the enclosures, but they must be people who love animals and nature.

"The aim is to provide them with a place in which to relax and enjoy nature."

Mr Wee added that he also has plans to organise eco-tours for school children

so that they will be better informed about nature conservation and learn how

to co-exist with nature.

As he spoke, his pet gibbon, Sarah, clung to him, perching on his shoulder

and tugging at his hair affectionately.

But Mr Wee doesn't let all his animals climb over him.

A loud "No!" and "Out!" from him was sufficient for the animals to know that

he meant business, and they scuttled out of the way obediently.

Said Mr Wee, who runs a dog grooming business (The Doggy Salon) in Singapore:

"Melody (the pony) and the goats get along fabulously.

"When the durian trees are fruiting, Melody will use her hoofs to stomp open

the thorny husk and share the fruit with the goats."

The sanctuary is a 45-minute drive from the Second Link at Tuas.

Its 20-strong pool of volunteers drive up every weekend to help out with

various tasks.

Said a regular volunteer, a graphic designer in her 40s, who wanted to be

known only as Ms Soo: "I try to come up every weekend to see all the animals,

as well as my four cats which are boarding here.

"It's a pleasant change from the fast-paced city life in Singapore."

Mr Christopher Loh, 25, a sales promoter who has been volunteering at the

sanctuary for about seven years, agreed.

He said: "I find that it's very fulfilling to be with the animals, especially

the dogs, as they can be very emotional animals.

"Since I'm not allowed to keep pets at home because my father disapproves,

coming to the sanctuary is the best option."

The volunteers help walk and groom the dogs, clean the kennels and catteries,

and feed the animals.

Mr Wee claimed he has already invested more than $100,000 in the sanctuary,

which included having to build the place from scratch.

And the maintenance does not come cheap.

Mr Wee estimated that it costs $15,000 monthly to pay the three full-time

workers he has employed to look after the sanctuary, buy food for the animals,

as well as run the generator, the main source of electricity.

The generator is turned on only at certain hours of the day. At night, the

workers or volunteers depend on kerosene lamps and candles for light.

Water is taken from a well. Said Mr Wee, who stays over at the sanctuary only

on weekends: "I would love to spend more time here but I have a business to

run in Singapore.

"I think that moving here is a blessing in disguise after all. The animals

are happy, and that's what matters."

NOMINAL MONTHLY RENT OF $500

NOAH'S Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary used to be known as Noah's Ark Lodge on

its Seletar Farmway premises in Singapore for seven years.

After losing the tender to dog-breeder and handler Thierry Lim last year, Mr

Raymund Wee, the operator of Noah's Ark Lodge, was given three extensions by

the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) to move his animals.

The new site, a 4-ha piece of land in Pekan Nanas, Johor Baru, was offered by

a Singaporean businessman. Mr Wee pays a nominal rent of $500 a month.

WHEN TO VISIT

Nanas is open to the public on Sundays from 11am to 5pm.

Visitors are welcome, but do call for an appointment beforehand.

For enquires on animal sponsorship at Nanas, please email to noahsarkcares@gmail.com

Source: The New Paper
Date: 6 March 2001

Noah's Ark sets up home in Johor

By Yeoh En-Lai, The Straits Times

The once-sunken Ark has resurfaced, only this time in Malaysia. Today is the

deadline for Noah's Ark Lodge operator Raymund Wee to vacate the former

premises at Seletar West Farmway 5. He has spent the past few weeks moving the

animals to his new sanctuary in Pekan Nanas, Johor. YEOH EN-LAI finds out that

it was not all plain sailing in the move.

   AFTER three extensions and a much-publicised row with the Agri-food and

Veterinary Authority of Singapore, Noah's Ark Lodge operator Raymund Wee is

hoisting anchor.

   After seven years, he has moved his Noah's Ark Lodge and more than 300

animals across the Causeway.

   The renamed Noah's Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary is less than half an hour's

drive from the Tuas checkpoint.

   Now, its former Seletar Farmway premises, once home to more than 500 dogs and

cats and other animals, has fewer than 30 dogs.

   The dogs left behind will be placed under the care of the Agri-food and

Veterinary Authority (AVA), as instructed by their owners who had had Mr Wee

look after them before.

   Each dog will have a microchip inserted under the skin, so that the AVA can

keep track of the animals.

   When The Sunday Times visited the old Ark last week, the Noah's Ark Lodge

sign had been dumped by the side of the entrance and replaced by a "Closed"

sign.

   The pond at the far end of the lodge had been drained. Empty pet cages were

stacked up and many potted plants had been removed, along with several

structures and support beams.

   Apart from the dogs, there were several doves there that were going to be

given away.

   "I have removed some of the structures I had built over the past seven years

as I am a caring person and I do not want anything to happen to Mr Thierry Lim

and the AVA when they come to this place," Mr Wee said.

   The AVA said it had given Mr Wee ample time to move the animals and find a

new home.

   Mr Chin Yen Neng, AVA's head of Infrastructure Management, said: "We gave him

three months, then another two one-month extensions, and after that, another

two weeks.

   "We have an obligation to the new tenant, Mr Thierry Lim.

   "We gave Mr Wee the additional time because we wanted minimal disruption to

the animals," he said.

   Mr Wee still contends that the initial three months should not be included in

the notice period, because the site was still being tendered out then.

   "I was confident of winning the bid in April. With this shelter, I helped to

answer the problem of strays, and I had invested so much here," said Mr Wee.

   "I built this place with love," he added.

   But there's no love lost between Mr Wee and the AVA.

   Mr Wee's battle to keep Noah's Ark Lodge at Seletar was very public. And not

always polite.

   His campaign included bombarding the Government with petitions of support and

attempting to discredit Mr Lim via his website.

   Still, he lost.

   Then came the mad scramble to relocate the animals. Some were too sick to be

moved quickly.

   The animals could only be transported to Malaysia at night because it was too

hot to do this in the daytime.

   The AVA will inspect the premises tomorrow morning. In a letter to the AVA,

which was obtained by The Sunday Times, Mr Wee said: "During the past 10 weeks

I had to find an alternative piece of land to relocate, clear and prepare a

piece of wild land, and build up a shelter for the animals.

   "Even if this were to be done in Singapore, it would take a minor miracle to

put all these together in such a short time."

   When asked what his fondest memory of the Seletar premises was, he said: "The

fight to keep this place. But now, we'll make a fresh start."

   TENANCY: End of extension

   IN 1987, the land at Seletar West Farmway 5 where Noah's Ark Lodge is sited

was tendered out to corporate trainer Harry Quek to run a dog-breeding and

kennelling business.

   Six years ago, 51-year-old Raymund Wee sublet it from Mr Quek and started

Noah's Ark Lodge. * Last December, Mr Quek told the Primary Production

Department (now the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority) that he did not want

to renew his tenancy.

   Mr Wee asked to be allowed to continue there.

   But the AVA turned him down, because Mr Quek was not allowed to sublet, under

the tenancy agreement.  In January, a public tender was announced.  Three

months later, AVA's head, Dr Ngiam Tong Tau, announced that dog-breeder and

handler Thierry Lim would take over the site.

   He had outbid Mr Wee by $12,101 per annum.  Mr Wee was given until May 15 to

quit but got two extensions of a month each until July 15.  Sometime last

month, a Singapore businessman offered him a 10-ha plot of land in Pekan

Nanas, Johor, which his family had used as a vacation home.  The AVA said Mr

Wee was granted a total of 22 export permits from July 7 to move the animals

over to Johor, but he said some of the forms were inadequately filled and he

was nearly turned back at the border.  On July 15, he got another two-week

extension. This ends today.

Source: The Straits Times
Date: 30 July 2000

New place seems ideal for animals

By Yeoh En-Lai, The Straits Times

A NEW place, a new beginning and it is just off the beaten track.

   After moving a big number of animals out of Singapore, Mr Raymund Wee, who

runs Noah's Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary, has sworn that he will not return

with the menagerie.

   He has cleared a 10-ha plot in Pekan Nanas, Johor, and built kennels, as well

as a home for himself, in the past two months. He said: "I don't want to even

try to go back."

   Back to Singapore, that is.

   The 51-year-old former airline steward said he had spent about $60,000 on the

new sanctuary. The land was given to him by a Singapore businessman.

   The Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) of Singapore placed a

public-tender notice on Friday for two plots of land in Loyang, which could

have become a site for Mr Wee's animal sanctuary.

   He did not want to bid.

   The new sanctuary, a half-hour drive from the Tuas checkpoint, is taking

shape.

   The road to the sanctuary is an untarred and narrow, with a few bumps.

   What had been thick undergrowth two months ago is now cleared land. A new

well has been dug to supply fresh water.

   But it seems to be ideal for the animals.

   The cats and dogs have bigger kennels. The goats and Melody, the pony, have

more space to run around in.

   A pond is being dug at the far end while a stream, which separates the dogs

and cats, divides the plot.

   Mr Wee described his ambitious plans.

   "I plan to build a few chalets so that owners can spend time with their pets

here. Then, I may conduct eco-tourism tours for youngsters," he said.

   He has bought books which he hopes will help him set up a herb garden.

   Without a full-time vet and no real income yet, it is hardly paradise.

   "I'm not a vet but I've learnt a lot over the years," he said. "I can say

that I know around 80 per cent of what a vet is supposed to know about animal

husbandry."

   The AVA has granted him export permits for 140 cats, 80 dogs, one pony, 12

goats, 25 rabbits, 20 ducks, 20 chickens and five peacocks. An albino python

and some birds also seemed to be residing happily there.

   Mr Wee said: "At least, I still have a place where stray and unwanted animals

can die with dignity."

ARK EMERGES FROM JUNGLE

   TWO months of hard work have gone into the battle to build the new Noah's Ark

Sanctuary, before the old Seletar West site shuts down today. Now, a new ark

is starting to emerge on a 10-ha piece of jungle in Johor. The past few weeks

have been a trying for Noah's Ark Lodge operator Raymund Wee as he has been

busy moving the more than 300 animals over to Johor. Standing in front of the

half-drained pond in Seletar, he claims he will not return to Singapore with

his animals.

   At the new site in Pekan Nanas, the dogs have newer, larger kennels and more

room to roam when they are let out.

Source: The Straits Times
Date: 30 July 2000

Wanted : new guardian angels for abandoned animals

By Jamie Ee, The Business Times

OFF THE CUFF

   Enough of emotional finger-pointing. Rational solutions are what's needed at

Noah's Ark Lodge

   I VISITED Noah's Ark Lodge for the first time last weekend.

   It's funny how animals - and I don't mean the ones living in the shelter -

seem to be naturally drawn to this pocket of rural outback land set deep in

the midst of a relatively untouched stretch of Seletar. Packs of strays who've

commandeered abandoned structures as home run around fearlessly, giving the

impression that they're either Noah's Ark residents released on a day pass, or

trained PR consultants hired to create an image of happy doggie hinterland to

impress prospective "adoptive" parents.

   In surprisingly good physical condition for strays (looks like they've been

getting takeaway meals from their kind neighbour), the dogs scratch and play

contentedly on the dusty roads, to the point that even if you want to stop and

offer them PR status in your back yard, they might very well decline.

   But theirs is a different dilemma from their counterparts in Noah's Ark

itself - while their biggest enemy would be the dogcatchers, the animals in

the shelter are not even aware that their future is now in the hands of the

AVA and the new tenant that has taken over the lease of the premises.

   Much has been said about the moral dilemma of chucking out a man - Raymund

Wee - who spent seven years of his life caring for stray and abandoned

animals, and putting in his place a commercial breeder whose altruism has not

been tested. There's been a lot of good guy/bad guy sentiment brewing, and

much of it has boiled down to this: Raymund Wee - animal hero; new tenant

Thierry Lim and AVA - heartless souls bound by cold commercialism and an

indifferent bureaucracy. True or unfair, that is the question.

   I don't know Mr Wee or Mr Lim personally. But what I saw at Noah's Ark that

day was a group of volunteers and dog lovers prepared to fight for the

animals' well-being, and at the same time, a very typical Singapore attitude

that when something goes wrong, blame the heartless government department

involved.

   I say, stop with the emotional finger-pointing and start looking for a proper

solution. As an animal shelter, I can't think of a better place than Noah's

Ark, where the animals get their basic needs of food and shelter. But really,

should it stop there?

   Out of the hundreds of dogs I saw, a handful caught my attention. One was a

shar pei named Wrinkle. At least, that's what the volunteers named him. But

you could call him by name and he wouldn't respond. I wouldn't either, not to

such a dumb name anyway. But Wrinkle's an aloof dog who had no attachment to

anybody there and spent his time walking around aimlessly as if he were just

biding his time, waiting for something or someone. Maybe the moron who

abandoned him in the first place. Then there was PR dog - a friendly fellow

who sucked up to all and sundry, obviously dying to be adopted but, no such

luck, apparently. And Mangy, obviously named for his appearance, looking lost

and confused amidst the stream of visitors. And so on.

   Dogs need someone to love. An animal shelter is not the ideal solution for

the abandoned dog or stray, it's ideal only for people who want to dump their

responsibility on somebody else. If anything, the current urgency to get the

animals adopted quickly could actually be a good thing, because then they'll

have a proper owner and home instead of living in this animal orphanage where

the caregivers are kind but individual love and nurturing are impossible.

   Don't blame the government for upsetting what has been a real cosy situation.

Yes, it can help make a bad situation better and it's already happening with

the release of land in Loyang and the micro-chipping of the Noah's Ark

animals. If the right-minded people got together, some rational solutions can

be found. Raymund Wee doesn't have to be the only angel. The next one could

well be Thierry Lim. But if not, then the challenge amongst the most vocal

Noah's Ark supporters should be: come on, who among you has the courage to

take up the cause?

   CAST YOUR VOTE: Go to the BT Online website (business-times.asia1.com.sg) and

take part in the interactive poll based on this column.

   RESULTS OF LAST WEEK'S POLL: What's your definition of the ideal mum? One who

cooks, cleans, looks after the kids and still looks sexy in bed - 16.35 per

cent. A career woman who will delay a major deal to take her kids to the

doctor - 14.15 per cent. One who can balance work, kids, maid and

mother-in-law - 53.15 per cent. One who stays home and gets to watch her kids

grow up - 16.35 per cent.

Source: The Business Times
Date: 19 May 2000

Ark's animals to get microchips

By Pauline Leong, The Straits Times

PET FARM : Tending to over 200 dogs and about 200 cats is no easy business.

Several times a day, a worker at the compound has to scout the whole place for

dogs' droppings and scoop the poo up. Here, Mr Wee himself does the dirty job

- accompanied by his faithful friends, of course.





PET FARM : Tending to over 200 dogs and about 200 cats is no easy business.

Several times a day, a worker at the compound has to scout the whole place for

dogs' droppings and scoop the poo up. Here, Mr Wee himself does the dirty job

- accompanied by his faithful friends, of course.




BATH PUP : All the animals at Noah's Ark are bathed on Saturdays so that they

would be clean, fresh-smelling and ready to meet the animal-lovers the next

day. Sundays are open house at the Ark and some lucky animals are adopted

then.




DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE : On Mondays, Dr Heng Yee Ling, a vet, and Ms Roseline Ng,

a vet nurse, will drop by the shelter to sterilise the cats and dogs. Mr Wee's

house rule is that dogs and cats that are brought to his shelter must be

sterilised as he believes this will help to reduce the number of strays.



PICTURES BY LANCE LEE

   About 500 animals will get the chip implants, so the AVA can keep track of

them and ensure their well-being

   ABOUT 500 dogs and cats at the Noah's Ark Lodge animal shelter will have

microchips attached to them, so that they can be identified and accounted for

when a new tenant takes over the shelter next month.

   To allay the fear of volunteers at the shelter - who were worried about the

animals being put down - the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority's chief

executive officer Ngiam Tong Tau said yesterday that the microchips, inserted

below the skin around the animal's neck, will help AVA keep track of the

animals.

   And the incoming tenant, Mr Thierry Lim, said that he would open the place to

the public, seven days a week, and allow owners who have placed their animals

at the shelter to continue to pay the same fees as they do now.

   About 50 volunteers and animal lovers met AVA officials and Mr Lim at the

AVA's Sembawang Field Experimental Station to discuss the welfare of the

animals at Noah's Ark.

   The animal shelter at Seletar West was started by Mr Raymund Wee seven years

ago, to take in stray and abandoned animals.

   Currently, Noah's Ark is open to the public only on weekends.

   Mr Lim outbid Mr Wee, when the 2-ha site was put up for tender by AVA in

March. But volunteers at the Ark were concerned about the welfare of the

animals with the change of management.

   Yesterday, Dr Ngiam reiterated AVA's stand that all the animals at Noah's Ark

would be taken care of, and that the welfare of the animals would not be

compromised.

   "Mr Lim has also given us his assurance that he has no intention of putting

down any of the animals at Noah's Ark. He will continue to provide shelter and

care for the animals there."

   Ms Eve Toh, a member of the Cat Welfare Society, said that some cat owners

were concerned that the structures built to house the cats would be

demolished.

   Dr Ngiam reassured them that if the structures were essential to house the

animals, they would not be razed.

   Meanwhile, Dr Jean-Paul Ly, veterinary consultant to the Ark, has pledged to

continue providing veterinary services for the animals.

   Volunteers and animal lovers also had suggestions on caring for the animals.

   Bank officer Kathy Ong, 31, a volunteer, suggested a committee should be

formed to play a consultative role, to advise on standards for the care of the

animals.

   Animal-lover Cathy Strong proposed: "Maybe well-wishers could 'foster' an

animal, and pay $10 to $20 each month for its upkeep," she said.

   Ms Celin Leung, 32, suggested that the AVA work with schools to increase the

pool of volunteers.

   "Perhaps university and secondary-school students could do work at the Ark as

part of their volunteer projects."

   Dr Ngiam said the AVA would take all suggestions into consideration.

   He also revealed that there would be two plots of land in Loyang that would

be open for tender this year.

   Dr Ngiam urged animal owners, volunteers and members of the public to call

the AVA hotline on 1800-226-2250 if they have further queries on the matter.

Source: The Straits Times
Date: 14 May 2000