The Noah’s Little Ark Animal Shelter and information centre is the only animal shelter in Chania with a proven record. It specialises in helping the many starving and injured animals you will see on the island. The shelter also plays a very important role in neutering many of the stray animals, and educating the children of Crete how to treat animals with kindness. The original shelter was started by an amazing woman named Silke Wrobel.
In 2003 she was presented with Germany’s highest medal of honour for her tireless work helping animals (the equivalent of Britain’s MBE). She has opened a new quarantine / holding centre at 40 Daskologianni Street in Chania. This is where all the new arrivals will be taken to be cleaned up, vaccinated, microchipped and seen by veterinarians before going to their new homes abroad or to the main shelter. Visitors are very welcome at the centre – during usual shop hours.
Crete is an incredibly beautiful island, with lovely, lovely people, but the hardest part about living here has got to be seeing the many stray animals – often painfully thin and/or injured. Working here with a villa company means that we get calls from tourists about sick, injured and/or abandoned animals, and it is always Silke and the volunteer vets at Noah’s Little Ark that we turn to. Over the last few years we have taken animals in very poor conditions from both clients and from the side of the road. These animals have all spent time at Noah’s Little Ark and then been sent to loving homes in England, Germany and Austria. I have seen some lovely photos of “my” dogs - transformed into happy, healthy, much loved animals. Even my beloved Molly Dog who I found injured on the side of the road in 1998 was vaccinated and neutered at Noah’s Little Ark. My beautiful Balinese cat, Teddy Bear, was found living rough on the streets in Chania before Silke rescued him and I was lucky enough to adopt him. Our accounts manager, Julie, also has 3 rescue dogs including Millie Monkey who was also saved by Silke.
With Greece and it’s people suffering from very difficult economic times every day brings another round of dogs and cats that have been dumped on Silke’s doorstep. Noah’s Little Ark is also struggling and it is entirely funded by donations from private individuals which have dwindled recently - just when they need them more than ever. Noah’s Little Ark has set up two state registered charities – 1 in Germany (where the bulk of the funding comes from), and one in England. If you would like to help please see Myra at Francoise Cafe as we have a collection box there for any leftover coins at the end of your holiday. No amount is too small. Silke provides receipts for everything she buys with the money we give her – ranging from medical supplies and equipment, a van for picking up and transporting the injured animals, and currently renovating and refurbishing the quarantine/ holding centre. Without the help of our many animal loving clients, the desperately important work at Noah’s Little Ark could no longer go on.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Frankie, Julie, Teddy Bear, Bailey Bear, Lady, Flickr, and Millie Monkey.
