An animal sanctuary is a representation of love and equality for all beings, with the intent to inspire and encourage other humans to live more mindful and compassionate lives.
It takes courage to be different than the rest...
In the world of animal rescue and being an organization that relies 100% on donations, it can be a tricky place to be when you stand strong on what you believe is right for the greater good. It often means a much greater sacrifice of oneself and a very tough place to be financially. Humans want and expect things to be a certain way...for their own desires.
Most sanctuaries allow visitors, we do not. Our goats and chickens have made it very clear that they prefer true sanctuary surrounded by those they trust. We are not a glorified petting zoo. This is about providing sanctuary for them...not for humans to come and stress them out. There are plenty of other ways to encourage a shift in how humans view farm animals.
Quality of life over quantity of lives saved, is our priority as an organization. Every animal in our care deserves the very best we can provide for them, including large living spaces with green pastures, not small pens on dry lots.
This is why we remain small scale.
We do not need additional volunteers to help with animal
care and farm chores. Being small scale allows for all of the farm duties to be handled by the on site volunteer caretakers, which minimizes the stress on the animals. Just like humans, animals are not comfortable with strangers coming in and out of their home.
In the big picture of animal advocacy, it is the responsibility of other humans to do their part as well. More humans must take on the commitment of the lifetime of care for animals in need, while at the same time keeping them off of the dinner plate.
It is simply not ok to expect a few sanctuary caretakers to take the weight of the world on their shoulders while everyone else just goes about their lives. If this world is going to change, we ALL have to be that change.
Everyone can do something to help...even if you can't take in a couple animals in need. Being vegan is the most authentic gesture of love and compassion for all beings and our planet. You can also help in other ways such as organic gardening and a toxin free home. You can do personal fundraisers for sanctuaries and animal rescue groups. You can plant flowers for the bees and butterflies.
We make it a priority to only feed our dogs and cats food from the highest quality sources, organic when possible, and refuse to support factory farming. Most pet food comes from factory farms.
We must take care of the sanctuary caretakers! This critical component is so often missed and terribly neglected. Yes of course we all desperately want to see the precious non-humans cared for, saved, and loved...but what about the humans who are dedicating their entire existence on caring for them??? They give it all...financially, physically, and emotionally. Often strictly as volunteers, such as here.
On this same thought...it is extremely important to see the big picture and long term picture of taking on the responsibility of a sanctuary and all of the residents. Each time a new baby goat is rescued, that caretaker just signed up for 15 more years. This is why we are no longer accepting new rescues. We are committed to at least 10 more years, and at that point plan to hand the baton over to a new caretaker at a new location under the operation of IFAS. Angie, our caretaker, will be nearly 60 at that point, and it will be time for a younger generation to take over. It is simply unfair to the animals to do anything less than this. We must think of the future and lifetime commitment of care involved when running a sanctuary.
As an organization we believe providing sanctuary to a lucky few is only a drop in the bucket of true animal advocacy. Vegan outreach is truly the way to save the most animals in the future.
We also so strongly believe in sustainability and living a 100% organic life, for the humans and the non-humans that live here. Our goal is to become 100% sustainable by growing all of our own food here at the sanctuary.
