Noah's Ark Animal Rehabilitation Center and Sanctuary Inc

Recent changes at NA only proved the passionate work being done there. The horses, goats and bison all were rehomed so that they'd get the appropriate shelter and dietary needs. They were never given shelter or shade prior to 2022. This was an outstanding violation for years. The reduction in the bird collection made it easier for their keepers to give the animals the individual attention they hadn't received before. NA was kept closed longer than the state required to put positive change into effect while dealing with the devastating destruction of back to back storms.
Positive change is taking place and the animals are better off now than at anytime prior to 2022.

DONORS ASK QUESTIONS!!! Visit SAVENOAHSARK.ORG for ongoing updates and court documents. The President, The VP of Operations and 2 other employees have approx. 40 animal cruelty charges pending trial in Henry County State Court April 22, 2024. There are USDA violations from Sept. 2023. There is a pending Federal Endangered Species Act lawsuit. Only a fraction of animals on the property today vs when the founding family was operating and caring for this once beautiful place.

Go to their NA website and look under "ABOUT" then "FINANCIALS" and review the most recent 2022-990 form filed 2-2-24. Look on page 2, under 4a. LIES they do not care for the animals the rest of their lives. They hauled off or allowed to die. The BOD Chairman, paid their worthless President $144,000 to depopulate the animals. She was fired from her last job at Save the Chimps in FL. The entire Hedgecoth founding family of 30+ years were fired by the new President Aug and Sept of 2022. Corrupt rogue BOD that now only has 4 total people since other board members were fired in 2022 and or quit for disagreeing with The Chairman of the board, who is also in commercial real estate. The animals have suffered so much because our State Attorney General, refuses to do his job and step in to correct these wrongs.

Look at PAGE 10 of the 990 form - #11 section b - "Legal Fees" $443,947!! If that was thru fiscal tax year May 1, 2022 to April 30, 2023 can you imagine with pending Georgia State charges and a Federal Endangered Species Act pending what they have spent on legal fees since then?

The 4 rogue board members and the President and VP of Operations along with their treasurer should be investigated.

I drove through Georgia to visit this weekend and Noah's Ark is still closed. This great community place has been closed for months now. They are selling 200-dollar tickets for "tours" but the gates are locked. This is no longer the nonprofit it once was since Shelly Lakly has taken over as President in 2022. There are no animals in the field, the gates are locked, and there are emails selling tickets. it is amazing Guidestar would endorse a scam like this.

NA was once an amazing place. It was beautiful, had happy, well cared for animals, great staff, volunteers, and the founding family genuinely cared. Unfortunately, in August 2022, this all changed.

The current BoD and President have removed all founding family members, from working and/or living on the property. The long term veterinarian was removed from the board and released from her volunteer position. She provided all her care on a volunteer basis. The long term employees and volunteers were also removed and/or quit, due to the lack of care the current administration is providing.

The local community has watched out favorite place to visit slowly deteriorate. Animals have been injured, euthanized, removed, and/or sold. Fences are broken, animals walk with limps, or have been seen rolling in pain, possibly due to colic. The park had an enormous outbreak of Avian Flu, from wild vultures, causing hundreds of animals to be culled. Local and state authorities have issued multiple warnings for violations, against the current administration. The admin keeps blaming the founding family, whom have all been gone for nearly 8 months. Yet, nothing has improved, it has actually gotten worse. The current administration has been given a 60 day notice, for numerous federal violations against the Endangered Species Act. The BoD and President's only reply was a statement deflecting from the animals care, trying again to bring attention to the founding family instead of their own actions. Blaming the founding family and employees no longer works, 8+ months later, especially when the founding family was in compliance with local and state authorities, for many, many years.

Help remove the current BoD and President, before they destroy this amazing sanctuary completely.

First off, notice Noah’s Ark (NA) was listed top rated in 2021.
1. The animals of NA have been subjected to horrendous living conditions since August 2022 when NA came under sole control of a rogue BoD with a hidden and personal agenda with absolutely no transparency to donors or the public in general concerning actions and decisions made, which happen to violate not only NA bylaws but federal laws as well.
2. While things were dire in the beginning of the current administration’s takeover, it has moved past that to the unimaginable. Under the current leadership, the animal population has declined from 1200+ animals to 59, 31 of which are ESA protected.
3. One 35 year old ESA Spider Monkey was slammed to the ground and then thrown into his enclosure by the current vice president. This poor geriatric monkey was not allowed to be seen by a vet or given any medical treatment at all. There could be external and/or internal injuries, if he is still alive after such abuse.
4. The current president and board of NA have not completed their basic responsibilities to the animals under their care and have made a complete mockery of NA bylaws, state government officials, state and federal agencies, media, donors, and the public at large through their negligence and/or blatant reckless actions and decisions. They have acted unethically and criminally against humans and the animals who called and still call NA their forever home.
5. There is reason to believe donor fraud has taken place and is continuing, seeing that the animals have not and are not as they were before the rogue hostile takeover by this current leadership. They are still soliciting donations for a rehab program they are not even operating.
6. There is no transparency with the current leadership, but they always offer up lies to coverup what their real agenda is, even to government agencies.
7. Citations have been given out, of which some were never acted upon, and the current Board has received repeat violations from various agencies, specifically the USDA.
8. Over 39,000 people have signed a petition with grave concerns for the animals at NA and the future of the Ark itself under the current and hostile administration.

Please save Noah’s ark! The new directors are money hungry. They aren’t taking care of the animals properly.

The current leadership of Noah’s Ark should be very ashamed of themselves. They have taken a once thriving animal sanctuary and completely run it into the ground! What is happening there is just sickening and needs to be stopped. The truth will come out eventually—it always does—and it can’t possibly be for the good of the animals.

This was once a wonderful rehabilitation and sanctuary -- unique because it was a rehabilitation center. We took a baby squirrel there and they gave it a home. We used to donate regularly. Last year (2022) I noticed something had changed. There were no daily posts and thank you notes from the administration. Then in December I found the FB page Save Noah's ark and was educated. This rescue as named in this non-profit website NO LONGER EXISTS. It was hijacked and became a terrible place for neglect and no longer a rehab center. They have been taking donations meant for the previous organization whose owners were fired by a current rogue board. It has lawsuits for animal neglect filed against it by federal agencies. President Shelly Lakly has been fired from other non-profits. She is unfit to run anything dealing with animals. I am angry that they have not identified themselves as a different place. As a donor, I feel I have been taken advantage of. I DO NOT recommend donating to the current board. They are frauds.

Under the leadership of the newly hired President in November 2021, this once phenomenal, respected, financially sound and trustworthy animal sanctuary has turned into nothing more than a collection of animals being kept in substandard conditions by inexperienced people. Their most recent Animal Welfare inspection by the USDA is clear proof that the current Board Chair and the unqualified president he hired have no business running an animal welfare organization. They recently fired the most experienced animal care manager, who was crucial to ensuring the animals are properly cared for and voted to remove from the board of directors the facility’s long time veterinarian, who preformed her duties at no charge for over 30 years. That veterinarian also donated over $200K annually to Noah’s Ark and was kicked off the board anyway because she stood up for the organization’s mission of helping animals in need. There is no integrity or transparency anymore within this organization, under the guise of things being “confidential”. The Board Chair and the President he hired are the only decision makers and anyone who questions those decisions are either terminated or removed from the board. This is NOT how a nonprofit should exercise its governance over an organization they are charged with protecting. The only thing the current board chair and the president he hired want to protect are their reputations and bank accounts. Such a tragic turn of events for what was once one of the top animal rescue facilities in the country and a truly magical place.

We have had the most wonderful day at the Ark. The animals were very active and we saw 2 alligators. One of the helpful volunteers today us that it was Baloo the bear’s 21st birthday this week. That’s amazing!!! He’s still such a handsome bear.
Our family just lives Noah’s Ark ������❤️

Noah's Ark in just a little piece of Heaven on Earth not only to humans but to all the animals that they rescue and take great care of. If that was not enough they opened it up to the public where you can go see all kind of animals for free or a donation if you would like. The staff is awesome and so friendly and helpful. I only wish I lived closer so that I could volunteer there. This is an awesome place for a family outing and you can even bring your fur babies as well.

Noah's Ark is a great place to refresh your mind and commune with nature. It's a peaceful place to spend time with God's creations.

This is a fantastic place to visit. It's peaceful and great to watch the animals enjoying their spacious habits. There is also a large picnic area with shade trees.

Noah's ark is a great place to see animals in a natural setting, the staff are always friendly and helpful.

Noah’s Ark Rehabilitation Center and Sanctuary Inc is a caring and wonderful place to visit. The Staff and Family really do care. You will find them taking care of the Residents with smiles on their faces and the way the speak to the animals. The beautiful animals are treated respectfully and so loved. You will learn from your visit as to how they were rescued. Sad stories but all with a happy ending. If I was able too I would love to retire and take care of these gentle giants. From the first time I visited I fell completely in love with this magical place. Your life will be changed on your first visit.

You must see this place for yourself if U care about wildlife. Come see what an amazing job this family has done with so much love & passion for animals

Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary is a fabulous organization whose work is critical to provide safe habitats for animals, many of whom have had very tragic life circumstances. This is a wonderful group of people and volunteers. The animals are beautiful. Thank you, Noah's Ark!

It's amazing what good care can do for animals. Plus if children grow up learning to appreciate and respect animals they have more respect for people.
I like interacting with visitors by telling them something about an animal that they probably didn't know. An ostrich as larger eyes than a brain. A wolf's howl can be heard for a mile. The gibbon's loud noise is really a song. And if you can get Fred the ostrich to dance with you, well, it really is his mating dance! He likes to jog along the fence while kids are running. To watch the lion, tiger, and bear interact makes us aware that we don't have all the answers that Mother nature has.

I have visited Noah's Ark many times with family and friends. We have a picnic and walk along a paved path... plus we see lots of cool animals. What's not to love? I can always be sure that we will see most of the animals, even the lion, tiger and bear. The peacocks and guinea hens roam free! I have so many good memories of this place: three years ago, I went into labor while I walked the trail -much to my relief, the baby wasn't born there :) Just this spring, my son reached out his hand to pet a sheep named Joey in the petting area and Joey said "Baaa!" in a very friendly way but my son was SO surprised! My nephew loved the monkeys- they were really active and vocal- he told everyone they were the best thing he'd ever seen. Make a trip and I promise you'll make memories of your own :)

This is an exceptional organization. They provide care, love, and a home to both children and animals and they do so much with so little resources. This is an organization that you can believe in and be extremely proud to support. Please let your friends and family know about this incredible place and consider making donations in honor of those you love.

Imagine a place where there is unconditional love and care for unwanted, neglected and injured animals.

imagine a place where animals are nurtured and loved by dedicated animal lovers.

Imagine a place that strives to make the world a better place for all of God's creatures.

Imagine no more.....Noah's Ark

A former Georgia resident and an Auburn University alumni, I head of Noah's Ark when they stepped in to assist in saving the life of Evidence the Zebra. Although Evidence has passed on, I continue to support the organization and its goals to provide homes for abused, unwanted and orphaned children and animals; and to provide education and awareness to the general public regarding the care and rehabilitation of children and animals in our society. It may seem like an odd combination for an organization's mission -- but Noah's Ark makes it work through the dedication and caring of its directors, staff and supporters.

First time donor, and looking forward to being a life time supporter. The love, caring, compassion and excitement of Noah's Ark is amazing and contagious. There is a huge story that hasn't been fully told about Noah's Ark and that is a story of uniquie individuals who have come together to take careof and address a part of our world that needs the attention Noah's Ark has made its focus. If you want a understand what giving is all about, then you need to know Noah's Ark. You get more from Noah's Ark's family than you will ever give to them.

This place is just a great non-profit. There are in business for the correct reasons and they truly want to help the animals. It makes for a great place to go to because you can tell they care.

I started visiting a Noah's Ark a few years ago with my son Jovin. I remember him being 2 years old and chasing the peacocks. It was so cute and so funny. The peacock would stop so he could get a little closer and then take off running. This went on for some time. Well Jovin is nearly 6 years old now and I now have another 2 year old son named Jerett. We recently went to Noah's Ark and of course Jerett had to chase the peacocks! Lol. My family absolutely loves going to Noah's Ark. It's so much better then the zoo. The people we've met are so friendly and they're doing such a wonderful thing. I love how there seems to be new animals every time we go. We plan to take our kids to Noah's Ark for many yeas to come. Keep doing what you do! We thank you for all your hard work and the happiness you bring!

I have been to Noah's Ark so many times and I am amazed at the care of the animals, the love of the staff and the work and time that they put into making it the bes animal refuge ever.

I am proud that we have such a place in Georgia!!

I try to regularly donate to Noah's Ark. They do such wonderful things for the animals and for the children there. I love to go and see the people (young and old) smile and enjoy all things that Noahs Ark offers.

Noah's Ark is like no other animal rescue organization. The expertise from hands on experience, the relationships with other county, city and state organizations, the educational support to visitors and, above all, the outstanding love and caring for the animals that other places have turned away, make it a very unique and special place for animals and humans alike. The Hedgecoth family loves to live and lives to work with their animals. It's a phenomenal place that everyone should visit and support. We are so blessed to have Noah's Ark within reach. Kathy and Brant Davis

I have been a supporter of Noah's Ark for many years. I took my son and nephew there when they were tiny, 20 plus years ago, to help them learn about animals and their connection to humans.
Now, the Director of a non profit Humane Society, I continue to support Noah's Ark. I realize how valuable their work is and how difficult it is to keep afloat on a 100% donation basis.
I have first hand exposure to the benefits that come from the bond between animals and people. It is often more of a ministry. What is accomplished at Noah's Ark is no easy feat and takes many hands and hearts. They need and deserve all the support they can get.
M. Bryant

When I lived in GA, I used to volunteer for Noah's Ark for a year once a week. I was a habitat ambassador which meant I greeted visitors, answered their questions about the animals and such. It was always such a joy to be at Noah's Ark. The animals are well cared for and the staff clearly loves all the creates in their care and is very passionate about their jobs.

I live in in Florida and flew to New Orleans to get my niece. WE drove to Noah's Ark. It could not have been a more enjoying and satisfying trip. The staff was all pleasant and knowledgable. The animals were all healthy, in clean and large areas. You could just tell they were loved and well cared for. I have traveled around the world to all types of rehab facilities and found this to be my favorite. I am an animal chaplain and photographer and when I returned home I put this facility in my new will. I was so impressed these people, their commitment, mission statement. I just can not say enough about them. This is a must trip for all of those who love animals.

I found something in my life that I am passionate about. This treasure is Noah's Ark Animal Rehabilitation Center in Locust Grove, Georgia.

Noah's Ark not only provides a home, health care, food and a natural environment for many types of abandoned or abused animals they provide love for and pride in their charges. All who work there know the stories of why these animals have come under their care and love to share the joy with the people who visit the facility.

I have been aware of Noah's Ark for several years. No where could you find a more caring, dedicated group of people. They care as much for the people who come through their doors as they do all the animals entrusted to their care. It's a real joy to interact with the staff and they are very eager to answer any questions you might have. Just great people!

I took my 3 year old grandson to Noah's Ark. He loved seeing the animals. What I liked was the easy, laid back environment. The animals were all in large comfortable settings and looked content. I left there grateful for the home the animals have. This is a wonderful place for the animals and humans alike.

My family has visited Noah's Ark numerous times and are always impressed by the care and compassion the staff shows for each and every one of God's creatures in their care. We are monthly donors as well, and consider this a part of our tithe.