Help 8-year-old Pari to Support Rescued Exotic and Domestic Animals Fund

8-year old Pari Shah is a rising 4th grader and a pen pal of Cisco employee, Rita Whitehouse, who is an animal advocate. Pari and Rita’s friendship began in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when employees as well as family members were struggling with social distancing. The friendship that bloomed with an exchange of letters and cards is now a source of empowerment for Pari. When Rita started sharing books and videos on the rescued animals at the sanctuary, it gave Pari a purpose and empowered her to become an advocate for these rescued, abused and special needs animals. After reading a book about the BLT (Bear, Lion and Tiger) at Noah’s Ark, Pari fell in love with these three animals and quickly reached for her change purse and told her mom, “Please send this change and dollars to help the animals at Noah’s Ark” and this has now turned into a public fundraising effort to support these wonderful beauties and other rescued animals at the sanctuary. Pari’s favorite is Baloo, American black bear, that was rescued with Leo, African Lion, and Shere Khan, Bengal tiger, by Noah’s Ark in 2001, after they were discovered by police officers in a basement of an Atlanta home during a drug raid. At only a few months old, all three cubs were frightened, malnourished, and infected with internal and external parasites when the Georgia Department of Natural Resources brought them to Noah’s Ark. In addition to treating them physically and providing them with a proper diet, the keepers ensured that Baloo and his friends were kept active, alert, stimulated and comfortable. Baloo is now 18 years old—that’s a lot of enrichment! Baloo enjoys batting around his huge ball that is specifically designed to be safe fun for large exotic animals. And he loves his big Rubbermaid bathtub filled with toys. Pari enjoys watching videos of Baloo who is her favorite animal (see web link below to a video of Baloo taking a bath). Other enrichment activities are gym sets, large Rubbermaid tubs, feeder puzzles, hiding food to encourage foraging and multi-level decks for the primates, stainless steel skewers with fresh fruits for the parrots and primates, Kong toys, grapevine wreaths, large wicker baskets, structures for hiding (porcupines and foxes)……the options are numerous! But the cost of some of these items, like the gym sets and big balls for the bears and tigers is great. It is important to provide a variety of enrichment to prevent boredom and frustration. The funds required to provide this much needed component of their care can be significant. Noah’s Ark cares about the mental health, physical health and wellness of its forever residents. Enrichment is about creating choices for animals so they feel more in control of their environment and can support their positive mental welfare and encourage natural behaviors in captive animals. Many of the wild animals that Noah’s Ark has rescued had never touched grass, dirt or trees before coming to their forever home at Noah’s Ark. Noah’s Ark’s mission has always been inspired by the magic of connecting children and animals. Children are the future stewards of our planet. Pari has most definitely injected herself as a true champion for rescued animals. Wouldn’t you like to partner with Pari to help Noah’s Ark continue their mission? Like Baloo, most of the rescued animals at Noah’s Ark will spend their remaining days in peace at a place that truly cares for their well-being. Baloo is our champion to raise money to help care for all of the very special residents at Noah’s Ark, which include big cats, wolves, primates, hoof-stock, parrots, reptiles and more, many of which were severely abused or abandoned before their arrival to the sanctuary. Please partner with Pari to help these precious animals at Noah’s Ark by donating toward her $10,000 goal that will be designated specifically for the care of these rescued animals that are fortunate enough to make it to Noah’s Ark. The donations will be used to pay for a continuous variety of enrichment toys/activities and other animal-related costs for their well-being and comfort. Pari would appreciate it so much if you would donate toward the care of these creatures that cannot take care of themselves so that they can enjoy their remaining years in peace, comfort, and the best health possible. Be sure to designate your donation to Help Pari to Support Wild and Domestic Animals in Captivity. Donations made in the United States are tax deductible. Baloo enjoying his bath: www.bing.com/videos/search?q=video+baloo+noah%27s+ark&&view=detail&mid=8E00AE52E8985324B14B8E00AE52E8985324B14B&rvsmid=C3BC02988528DE868B77C3BC02988528DE868B77&FORM=VDRVRV Important links for Noah’s Ark: www.noahs-ark.org, https://www.facebook.com/NoahsArkAnimalSanctuary/, https://twitter.com/noahsarkclub, https://www.instagram.com/noahsarkclub/ Link to Pari's video where she is appealing to help these rescued animals. https://youtu.be/2U_T3kyzjGk www.noahs-ark.org https://www.facebook.com/NoahsArkAnimalSanctuary https://twitter.com/noahsarkclub https://www.instagram.com/noahsarkclub/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKj0xI4DJsKDtALgbZmAWCw NoahsArkAnimalSanctuary #BLT #ShareTheDream #WOWTour #Cisco