Last week I had the pleasure of dining with a fabulous international animal welfare pioneer – Mr Raymund Wee of Noahs Ark Natural Animal Shelter (NANAS) in Malaysia. Raymund has dedicated the last ten years (and then some) to providing care, shelter, and a permanent home to thousands of unwanted and neglected animals. He saves them from unnecessary euthanasia, believing that every animal has the right to a happy and healthy life – and not one cut short simply because they become an unwanted commodity.

Raymund also funds and operates Malaysia’s only mobile spay vehicle, providing free and low cost animal spay and neuter services. The spay shuttle reaches all corners of Malaysia and Raymund’s work is varied – one day he spays stray cats at local markets, and the next he travels to remote jungle areas  where he educates tribes-people in pet management.

NANAS moved from Singapore to Malaysia in 2000, and sits atop 10 hectares of land. There are over a dozen permanent staff and many volunteers who assist with the daily running of the centre, and the care of 840+ dogs, 500+ cats, horses, monkeys, snakes and small mammals, all of whom have found themselves a  permanent home in which to live out the rest of their days. With a food bill alone totalling $20,000 Australian dollars a month, Raymund works tirelessly to promote the centre and bring in donations.  

His 840+ dogs form natural packs and all free-range together within the compound to create one large group. It must be quite a sight to see Raymund as ‘leader of the pack’ taking his 840+ dogs for a walk on the expansive NANAS property. And fortunately, it’s a sight I’ll get to see when I visit there later this year with the Houndstooth Studio crew, as we’ve been invited to NANAS to photograph the residents. We can’t wait to meet the animals, and see Raymund in his element, where he is “Daddy” and protector to his charges.

In the meantime, Houndstooth Studio will be providing Raymund with stock images to use for the NANAS Spay Shuttle marketing program, and NANAS will be the next animal charity recipient for our May – July special pet photography offer.    

Raymund presented a lovely framed letter of thanks to the studio – and we in turn thank him for his dedicated work in making the lives of Malaysia’s animals more comfortable. He really is an exceptional ambassador for the animal welfare cause, and is one hundred percent the ‘real deal’.  

Many thanks also to my good friend Dr Eric Yeoh  for connecting me with Raymund.

If you would like to learn more about the amazing work at NANAS, or would like to make a donation, please click here.