Noah’s Lost Ark set for new season

BERLIN CENTER — Noah’s Lost Ark Animal Sanctuary, on Bedell Road, is gearing up for opening day Thursday, but fans of the refuge for exotic animals can expect some changes — for a price.

This year, the sanctuary is raising the price of admission as well as offering a season pass for the first time.

The facility’s director, Ellen Karnofel, said things have been tough the past couple of years.

“Ever since COVID, people have forgotten about us,” she said. “We used to get a lot of donations, but now we have to purchase a lot.”

Noah’s Lost Ark began in 1998 when Karnofel applied for and received federal and state licensure to operate an exotic animal sanctuary. Her mission was to provide a safe and loving environment for abused and neglected exotic animals. That first year began with a camel, a bear and a cougar that lived locally.

“The following year (1999) we had 50 big cats,” Karnofel said. “In 2000, the number grew to 100 big cats.”

The cats each had their own story of neglect or abuse. In 2003, Noah’s Lost Ark took in Ming, a full-size tiger that was confined in a New York City apartment. “People often buy the cute little pet, but don’t know what to do when they grow too big to handle,” Karnofel said.

She felt the animal sanctuary could serve to educate society about exotic animals while providing a safe haven. She said the animals did not deserve to become innocent victims simply because they grew too large or became too expensive.

The sanctuary in recent years was able to build a primate house. One new rescue is a marmoset monkey that grew up on human food.

“It was fed Cheerios all its life,” Karnofel said. “It was only 60% of its normal size.”

Another newer facility is the tortoise building. This facility has to maintain a warm environment of nearly 80 degrees Fahrenheit. It presently houses 18 land tortoises, all from different situations.

“People see the newborn tortoises in a pet store and think they are cute little pets,” she said. “The cute little tortoises grow to weigh as much as 200 pounds and become an unwanted pet at that point.”

She said one adult tortoise had holes drilled into its shell to attach bolts and chains so the animal would not be able to leave the yard.

The recent addition of lemurs came from a private owner. Karnofel said lemurs do not make good pets because when they reach sexual maturity, they become biters.

She said Noah’s Lost Ark is a no-kill sanctuary where the animals can live out the rest of their lives in a healthy environment and with the care they need. She said they could never go back into the wild as they don’t possess the skills or knowledge to do so. For some, they physically could not.

Today, Noah’s Lost Ark cares for 34 big cats and 125 other species, including smaller exotic cats, tortoises, wolves, bears and primates.

With 159 mouths to feed, the mealtime bill is a high one. The facility goes through 700 pounds of meat, 1,000 pounds of hay, 180 pounds of fruits and vegetables, 250 pounds of grains, and 1,400 pounds of straw for bedding.

Those figures are on a daily basis, not weekly or monthly.

Noah’s Lost Ark is a nonprofit supported by donations, members, fundraising events, animal sponsorship programs and admission fees.

“This year we had to raise the fee for adults to $17,” Karnofel said. “We are also looking at a season pass for around $60.”

Senior citizens will pay $15 and children’s admission is $12, while children under the age of 2 are free, according to the sanctuary’s Facebook page.

Karnofel said the facility depends on admission fees and donations to survive.

“We provide a second chance to many of these animals, as they are innocent victims born into a captive world,” she stated on the Noah’s Lost Ark web page.

Karnofel said the facility is always looking for help and would love to find someone who could write grants for them. They also have a wishlist on the website of items needed.

To inquire about helping, to donate or for further information, call 330-584-7835.

The season opens Thursday and this year will see a new path opened up to an Asiatic black bear enclosure. The bear is 30 years old and was donated by a facility in Tennessee.