John Willoughby
reporter2@greenepublishing.com
Before Christmas, life changed for Nedra Wooley and Chuck Fritz. Sirens echoed and emergency lights flashed along the hilly dirt roads as first responders rushed to the scene of a house fire. And while the charred walls of their home stand as an unwanted reminder of the past, Nedra, Chuck and Ayla's Acres Sanctuary are looking forward to recovering and moving forward in their mission: providing peace, love and hope for more than 100 domestic and farm animals who call the 45-acre farm their home.
For the past 18 years, Wooley and Fritz have taken in animals at their Greenville location off of Alaska Drive; many of whom are not adoptable. They have taken in domestic dogs and cats; and other farm animals including donkeys, goats, horses and pigs. As a branch of the St. Augustine adoption center, the sanctuary was originally based in St. John's County prior to coming to North Florida, but as the no-kill sanctuary grew bigger, the land they had became smaller and smaller.
Upon visiting Ayla's Acres Sanctuary, you will be greeted by a number of friendly canines looking for a pat on the head. As you walk around the property, near Wooley and Fritz’s former home, you'll find a happy-go-lucky goat, coincidentally named Lucky, who shares a hay home with Ms. Torty, an African tortoise. To the left of the home, the beautiful horses that are Hot Rod and Nitro mingle together as the days go by. Montana also shares a fenced in region with the two horses. Montana was rescued by the sanctuary when they heard plans he was to be donated as a cadaver horse after health issues were discovered by the previous owner. "He's so sweet. He's just a sweet boy," Wooley adds.
A majority of the animals have been rescues from St. Johns and Duval counties, as well as Madison County and portions of Georgia. While the sanctuary serves as a rescue for animals to spend the rest of their lives, Wooley understands that it's not possible to rescue and save every distressed animal. "It takes a lot of money," Wooley added. "We don't get any federal or state help at all so it's strictly donations and fundraisers. People just don't understand what it takes."
Wooley calls her passion for tending to animals a love and a commitment, having to work with the animals on her farm constantly with rarely any breaks. "It is a huge commitment," said Wooley. "You have to commit to seven days a week, 24 hours a day because that little kitten needs to be fed around the clock – it doesn't have a mother or if something is sick, you have to tend to it. It's like a dairy farmer; those cows have to be milked every day whether it's Christmas or Thanksgiving."
The night of Thursday, Dec. 19, temperatures dropped and a heat lamp was on the African tortoise on their property inside of the front porch of the home. As Wooley and Fritz were upstairs in separate rooms preparing for a night of rest, the hay caught fire and began to rage.
At first, the two property managers didn't hear the downstairs alarms, but when the alarm went off upstairs, Wooley and Fritz jumped into action. "The minute we opened the door, the smoke would just burn your eyes, lungs, clothes … and I just started grabbing animals," Wooley explained, further stating that a number of cats perished due to the incident. "When there's a problem, cats run. They hide under something and disappear. That was their demise – so many of them."
Walking inside the home, the smell of smoke still lingers in the front rooms where the ceiling is severely damaged and open to nature. Soot stains paint the walls and furnishings. Upstairs, the fine outline of where a comb once laid remains on a vanity.
"It's been the most traumatic thing that I can remember that's happened to me in a long, long time," said Wooley. "These animals were like our children. It was like losing a child and what I hear, it's heartbreaking. It's just absolutely heartbreaking because we've worked so hard to have this happen, but we're going to persevere and keep on going. This isn't going to stop us."
The organization receives no government funding, therefore Ayla's Acres relies solely on generous donations from supporters and volunteers, as well as their thrift store, located in downtown St. Augustine, Fla. With veterinary and other expenses, Ayla's Acres is asking for your help in recovering. Currently, Ayla's Acres Sanctuary has received over $100,000 in donations. "It took a fire though for all of that money to come in," Wooley added. "But we still need more because we have so many added expenses with medical care for the animals that got burnt and were at the vets."
"We have to have monetary help in order to keep going," Wooley continued. "Even though this portion is, per se, behind us, we still need donations to help out. It's expensive to run this place; even under normal circumstances. It doesn't come easy."
A manufactured home has since been delivered to the property. Wooley and Fritz are preparing to move into the home, but ask for your support. If you would like to make a donation to help Ayla's Acres Sanctuary continue their mission of love, visit www.aylasacres.org or call (904) 484-8792.