Noah's Lost Ark Animal Sanctuary — Attraction in Ohio

This place is a must visit!! but keep in mind like others have said it is NOT a zoo, it’s an animal sanctuary. There are rules for a reason, please read the signage around the sanctuary very important! Also visit the website for their operational hours, they’re not accurate here.

Ok now onto my experience. Went with my little family which included a toddler and we had a fantastic time here. Admission is affordable, feed is extra $10 however definitely worth the experience and still not badly priced. This sanctuary charges for these things to defray costs of care for animals. Can you imagine how much money it takes to run this place? I personally think admission and cost of feed or even items in their gift shop are reasonable as it all goes back into keeping the animals cared for. They’re no kill and let these beautiful beings live their life out here. The petting zoo area was fun! There are some animals that are not to be fed (again be sure to read the signs). All of the animals here look well taken care of and have enrichment items. For any parents that are wanting to go, with our toddler we brought our stroller which was a bit rough getting through the gravel but traveled fine on grass. Keep this in mind, not a deal breaker but we figured halfway through we could have left it in our car and maybe opt for a wagon. You’re not up close and personal to the big cats or wolves! Keep that in mind as well. There is extra fencing that puts you a bit back but clearly for safety. The gift shop has a vending machine and snacks for sale. There is a restroom on-site outside of the gift shop/entrance that is its own little building. Cannot attest to anything within it as we didn’t use it. Staff was very friendly and knowledgeable! It was a pleasure seeing these animals and hearing the sounds of nature, truly a relaxing place. There are a LOT of signs that tell you how they expect you to behave. No running, screaming, etc. especially before entering the wolves exhibit (which includes no howling, and if your child is crying to leave the area, amongst other things). Be respectful, be kind & be appreciative someone has a big enough heart to save these babies from horrible situations. Which they have a book, sign & tv going on how some of the animals were saved and their prior condition.

Thank you all for ALL you do!! Thank you for caring for these animals and opening your sanctuary up to the public. As an animal lover myself I appreciate you all. We will...

My family and I have been here before the pandemic. I even wrote a review on another website that was positive and in that review I even mentioned that there was a sign asking for no unnecessary noise around the wolves which we respected. When I first saw the tik tok video, my first reaction was to agree with the owner because there are signs posted. However, when I heard the little girl say "I love wolves!" And then later she began crying, I had a change of heart for several reasons. The owner, instead of yelling from afar asking her to stop, could have calmly walked over and told the little girl to stop and kindly explained that while she may love the wolves, the wolves do not love all that noise. It could have been an educational opportunity and not had to have ruined a little girls experience. Now, if after that, the mother let the child continue, then of course she has every right to tell them to leave. I've seen reviews saying that the girl was 'tormenting, teasing, bullying' the wolves which is absurd. Most small kids will mimic the sounds of their favorite animal. What if the mother couldn't read the sign due to a learning disability or sight problem? If noise around the wolves is too much, a verbal warning should be given at check in when paying to ensure the customer understands the rules. There are such things as reading disabilities and there might be other people who visit who might not read English. I would think the owner yelling and getting so huffy in front of the sign that basically asks for quiet was not good for the wolves either. Neither party were totally in the right and I think the mother in order to save the experience for her child should have just said "ok I'll tell her not to howl anymore" and not have continued to argue with her. I would think a sanctuary of all places would put high emphasis on kindness AND education. If you can, you should read the signs. And if the owner can (like in this situation) she should use education...

Everyone giving 1 star reviews because of that video are awful. Two things mentioned in that video are the owner saying that the wolves are rescues from abusive situations (there’s signs on all the enclosures that say not to harass or howl) and the woman taking the video says that she has donated an animal here, that means that she would be familiar with this place. The owner's job is to protect their animals, not to parent or baby other's kids. If the parent didn't want to be yelled at in front of her kid, she should haven't have broken or encouraged her kid to break the rules. Other staff had gently warned the parent but she didn't listen and it seems the yelling didn't work either due to her posting the video, acting as if she's in the right. It's so easy to teach young children not to harass animals and yet she didn't even try. Why should the owner be responsible in further encouraging bad parenting when it's activitly harming their animals?

Also, with the crying, I'm an adult and I still cry when I get yelled at but I would recognise in this situation, it's completely justified yelling. They are disregarding the rules, the many warnings of staff and are harassing innocent animals. That deserves the telling off and if the parent won't give it, the owner will. I'm sure the owner would be a complete sweetheart to anyone else, just not those harming...