Education and adventure combine for fascinating family fun at Reno’s Animal Ark.
Animal Ark, Reno
Take your school-aged children for a walk on the wild side at Animal Ark in Reno, Nevada! This non-profit organization is a wildlife sanctuary and educational center that serves as a safe haven for wildlife animals which are non-releasable due to injuries, abandonment or other issues. The special programming and events at Animal Ark educate both children and adults about various wildlife species and ecological principles, and Animal Ark provides a lifetime home for the animals that are sheltered there.
Annually 15,000 visitors and 6,000 school children visit to get an up-close view of the animals, and the Animal Ark Science Classroom offers age-appropriate programs to teach kids about animal behaviors, Earth science, biology and ecology in inspiring and thought-provoking ways. The funding that maintains this sanctuary comes through admission fees and private donations and grants.
What will your kids see at Animal Ark? They’ll get an up-close and personal peek at coyote, wolf species, bears, the desert tortoise, cheetahs, mountain lions and bobcats. Check out the calendar of events on the Animal Ark website and plan to visit during one of their special events to hear the haunting cries of the Canids, (a member of the dog family) during an evening “Wolf Howl” or marvel at the speed and endurance of the fastest racers in the world when the cheetahs run free. These predators depend on their speed and agility to capture their prey, and you’ll get a ringside seat to safely watch them display their incredible powers of acceleration at the “Cheetah Run.”
At Animal Ark, the animal enclosures are purposefully built with native trees, vegetation and rocks to replicate the native habitat of the animals who reside there. As your family explores the park you’ll note that great effort has been made to keep every animal comfortable and engaged. At feeding time, food is scattered for the bears whose natural instincts are to gather. During special park events, the food is often provided to the animals inside toys that require thought and craftiness to open. Animal Ark is much more than a traditional zoo — it’s an environmentally responsible shelter for animals that are unable to survive on their own in the wilderness.
The animals living at Animal Ark are primarily native predators of North America, although they also house some exotic species. It’s a fascinating and close look at animals we don’t normally encounter in a learning atmosphere that makes a lasting impression on both kids and their parents.
More about Animal Ark
Location: 1265 Deerlodge Road, Reno, Nevada
Phone: 775-970-3111
Website: animalark.org
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