The Animal Ark Wildlife Sanctuary, Reno, NV at Red Rocks
By Meghann Gunther
The Animal Ark Wildlife Sanctuary is open seasonally and welcomes Visitors. If you are looking for a furry, fun and family-friendly day adventure, you’ll want to visit the Animal Ark Wildlife Sanctuary. Located in Northern Nevada, just outside of Reno at a place called Red Rocks, they are a community supported non-profit sanctuary that is home to some incredibly beautiful animals! They have been taking care of injured and abandoned wildlife while educating the public on the impact of wildlife on the environment since 1984.
View Animals at The Ark Wildlife Sanctuary.
The sanctuary currently is home to some of the following unique animals, two Bengal tigers, named Poppy and Lily, and a set of cheetahs, who were brothers that came from a wildlife park in Kansas. Along with the other great cats; they had a Jaguar who was gorgeous but moody that day. They also had several raccoons, a prickly Porcupine, and two Gray Wolves named Timon and Lydi. On site there are also a variety of intense birds of prey like the North American Kestrel, Harris’ hawk and a Great Horned Owl. One of the staff members fed the owl in the afternoon while I was there and shared with the small group that gathered to watch, details about the beautiful bird and its species. Near the birds but separate, there were several fuzzy Red and Gray Foxes who watched people with curious but sleepy little faces. There were many other animals on site like a brown bear, coyotes and more. You can also view their animals and their stories.
Explore and Learn at The Ark Wildlife Sancturary.
It is a wonderful place to explore, see incredible animals and learn about different species of both birds and mammals that few of us get to interact with in our lifetime. It’s a gentle and easy walk around the sanctuary with plenty of places to stop and watch the animals in their various areas. You can sponsor animals and be a part of the mission to protect and preserve. The sanctuary was originally started by its founders, Aaron and Diana Hiibel who were passionate about caring for injured wildlife and those who could not be released back into the wild. They build a peaceful haven to care for these animals and give them a place to live in comfort, educate the public and inspire conservation of both the wildlife and environment around us.
Hours and Information
The sanctuary is open from April through November while closed for the winter season of December to March. Their hours and information on visiting can be found at
There is spacious parking and bathrooms on site along with a fun visitor center that has look-alike stuffed animals representing the animals housed on site. The staff is all welcoming and very eager to help. You can find more details on their website at www.animalark.org . Click VISIT for hours, special events, their reasonable pricing and more.
The Animal Ark Wildlife Sanctuary
1265 Deerlodge Road. Reno, NV
(775) 475-9626
animalarkinformation@gmail.com