Sanctuary Tails

Animal Photo of the Week: Harry

 

Today’s photo comes from Jo-Anne McArthur, an amazing activist and photojournalist from Canada. Jo interned at our New York Shelter in 2003 and has been coming back to visit ever since. On one of her most recent trips, this special guy caught her eye and it’s no wonder – he has one of the most unique faces we’ve ever smiled back at. This handsome gentleman is Harry, a Large Black pig (a rare breed more commonly found in England, New Zealand and Australia) who came to us from a Canadian farm in 2008. Harry’s tale is just as captivating as he is, so you’ll definitely want to read more about him here.

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Seeking Justice for Farm Animals

 

by Leanne

Susie Moo’s bleeding horn first alerted Santa Cruz Animal Services Supervising Field Manager Todd Stosuy that something was terribly wrong at the Watsonville, California slaughterhouse. Thanks to his intervention, the cow and 13 goats, all undernourished and many suffering from pneumonia, conjunctivitis or overgrown hooves, were removed from the feedlot where they had been kept and brought to our Orland shelter for emergency care. Seeing the group today – all of the children sleeping closely against their moms at night, Swoozie goat playing Queen of the Mountain on top of the goat playground, Susie Moo flirting with the steers in the cattle herd – it’s difficult to imagine what would have become of them had they not been rescued.

Officer Stosuy filed charges against the slaughterhouse owner on four counts – three pertaining to animal neglect and one to an "inhumane" slaughter that he had witnessed. Two of the counts specifically addressed a pair of severely ill and emaciated goats we had rescued, one of whom was a downer and, despite our efforts to bring her back to health, passed away shortly after her rescue.

Though legal proceedings were delayed for a year and a half, the trial against the owner of the slaughterhouse finally occurred this month, and I was called to testify on behalf of the animals we rescued. Faced with the prosecution’s expert witnesses and seeing that we were not backing down, the defendant pled guilty to the two counts concerning our goats. His only punishment, however, was to pay restitution, and he was found not guilty of "inhumane" slaughter.

Still, we are thankful that Officer Stosuy and the prosecutor pursued justice and gave our rescued animals a voice. It is unusual for a case like this to be brought to trial – and to the public’s attention – at all. The court’s leniency demonstrates how much further legal protection for farm animals has to go, but seeing how far the survivors have come will teach so many about the abuse farm animals suffer and the happiness they are capable of knowing when treated with kindness.

Pictured above: Mother and son survivors Annie and Hal, living happily at Farm Sanctuary.

Friendship without Boundaries

 

by Leanne

Sweet Pea goose arrived at the California Shelter in 2005 with nine other goose friends. Having together endured countless acts of violence at the hands of abusers in a public park, the group was very tight knit. Even after being introduced to our resident goose flock, Sweet Pea and her friends were never far apart from one another. After waking up and eating their breakfast, the group would head down to the ponds to spend the rest of their day swimming, napping and taking an occasional midday jaunt to join the pigs for a snack. At the end of the day they would head back up the hill to their hutches for dinner before settling in for the night.

A couple years after she came to Farm Sanctuary, however, Sweet Pea surprised us by striking up an unlikely friendship with two Pekin ducks, Boris and Harry. The three became inseparable, and Sweet Pea took leave of her goose group to spend her days swimming and lounging with the boys. Eventually she even changed her nighttime routine to conclude at the gate to the ducks’ hutch, where she would stand demanding we let her sleep in their company. She continued to visit with her old goose friends, but her society of choice was definitely Boris and Harry.

Unfortunately, Harry later developed an infection in his bone that inhibited his ability to walk. To allow him easier access to a pond, we moved him and Boris to one of our hospital areas, where our special needs ducks live, at the beginning of the year. Although sad to see her friends go, Sweet Pea took the change in stride and blended back in with her goose comrades. But her love for Pekin ducks didn’t stop there.

This past month several Pekins who we rescued as ducklings became old enough to move in with the main duck and goose flocks. For the first week we kept them in a smaller yard with a pond, so they could become more familiar with the area. Because the Pekins did not mingle with the resident flocks, Sweet Pea seemed to take no notice of them and went about her daily routine with her usual friends. But this all changed once the newcomers were given access to the rest of the yard and the larger ponds. The first day they were released to go exploring Sweet Pea was right there to greet them and join their flock. Her feeling of kinship toward Pekins was apparent as she and the ducks talked to each other and bonded. And of course that night she was standing at the gate to their hutch demanding to be let in.

At first the ducks were wary of heading down the hill to the big ponds, a space larger than they had ever known in their lives, but the next morning, after sleeping beside Sweet Pea, they trustingly followed her into their wide new world. The group hardly left the water the entire day.

Who knows why Sweet Pea has such a fondness for Pekin ducks, but her actions show that love and friendship have no boundaries.

Animal Photo of the Week

 
  
We know how much you love animal photos – that’s why we’re really excited to announce a new "Sanctuary Tails" feature that’ll bring you more of the images you adore! Starting now, we’ll be posting an "Animal Photo of the Week" to spotlight the special individuals who call our New York and California Shelters home. Farm Sanctuary is honored to have many talented photographers in our midst and look forward to sharing their work with you here.

Today’s photo comes from Connie Pugh – a wonderful volunteer who has been lovingly documenting life at our California Shelter for several years. In honor of our efforts to encourage people to sponsor turkeys for Thanksgiving through our Adopt-A-Turkey Project, pictured here is Charlie, one of our newest feathered friends at our West Coast sanctuary. Recently rescued from a factory farm, this little peep thankfully got the second chance at life he deserved. Read more about Charlie and his friends here.

With a Little Help From My Friend

 

by Susie

Fortune has not always been a friend to Muck Muck, but mere mortals have done their best to fill in. And one particular little mortal has turned out to be the best friend Muck Muck could want.

The first person to do Muck Muck a favor was the one who rescued this Pekin duck from the side of the road in Tennessee. Pekins, a domestic breed used most often for meat and sometimes kept as companions, are not equipped to survive in the wild. White feathers and bright orange bills make them easy prey, unlike wild ducks whose coloring is more a match to their surroundings. Although we don’t know all the facts about Muck Muck’s origin or the history of his escape or abandonment, it was apparent from his severe wounds that he had a run in with a dog or some other predator. He has since recovered from most of his injuries, but the trauma to his eyes was so critical that he was rendered permanently blind.

Rescued but unclaimed, Muck Muck needed a safe haven. Initially, an adopter stepped up and offered the duck a home, but later she had to move and was worried that she could no longer give Muck Muck the special care he needed.

With Muck Muck’s future uncertain, his adopter turned to us. We were happy to welcome the duck to our shelter and, equipped with our extensive experience caring for special needs animals, immediately set about making him as comfortable as we could. But something still would have been missing if not for Nellie.

The two met at the home of their adopter, and Nellie too came bearing the scars of a violent past. She was rescued from a farm in Connecticut where she had lived with 30 to 40 other geese, most of them male. This is a dangerous and unfair situation in which to keep a female goose. The stress of repeated mountings by male geese damaged her spine, causing her neck to be bent downwards permanently. Nellie now has a neck contorted into a sideways S, which forces her to hold her head only a few inches above the ground. Leg injuries from the same cause left her with a stumbling gait. When we took her in, we knew that we couldn’t integrate her into our goose flock because of the risk of further injury from additional mountings by our male geese. We established her instead in a special needs flock of ducks, where she could rest and wander in peace beside a small pond.

So Muck Muck and Nellie, two animals who seemed in no condition to help even themselves, discovered they could help each other. Unable to know the companionship of other geese, Nellie found a companion in Muck Muck. The gallant duck stays close to her and, despite his own disability, is very protective. Nellie looks out for Muck Muck too, guiding him with calls when he has trouble navigating.

These are amazing birds. I don’t know how she does it, but Nellie has figured out ways to do all the normal goose things. When she first came to us, I doubted she would be able to swim — in fact, I worried about what would happen if she tried. But Nellie has worked out how to keep her head above water. She can groom herself; eat from her feeder; and even graze, a feat she cleverly manages by tearing up leaves and forming a pile from which she feeds with greater ease than she could by trying to nibble greens directly from the ground. She has been seen by doctors at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals, and they assure us that although the condition is permanent it is not painful.

Muck Muck has also learned to cope. He has become confident at finding his way by sound, and though unexpected noises or contact still distress him, he can handle them once he overcomes his panic and stops to listen.

He listens most carefully at dusk. When it is time to go to bed, Nellie’s calls lead him to her side, where he sleeps every night. Like we see so often with farm animals, these two birds have adapted admirably to the deficiencies of their bodies. And they have each other, which seems to make life worth living. No healthy duck or goose, or human, could quite supply the missing piece for Muck Muck or Nellie, because it is what each lacks that allows him or her so aptly, and with such graciousness, to fulfill the need of the other. We feel so lucky to have them in our lives and so happy that they found each other.

Angelo's Out and About

 

Last month, we gave safe refuge to Angelo, a newborn lamb who was orphaned shortly after his mother gave birth to him on a transport truck bound for a slaughterhouse. Rescued in the nick of time by a compassionate citizen, this tiny baby wound up at our New York Shelter, where he's since gotten quite an education about sanctuary life. In this adorable video, Angelo embarks on some of his first explorations of the shelter, including a visit to a friendly pig and a crowd of curious steers and cows. Enjoy!

Thanks for the Veggie!

 

by Susie & Leanne

Last week Farm Sanctuary was honored to be named "Favorite Animal Sanctuary" in VegNews Magazine's annual Veggie Awards. Thank you to everyone who voted for us — we appreciate your support!

We are grateful to be able to rescue and shelter so many amazing animals — to witness the transformations of creatures who, having lived as mere production units, are at last free to express their natures. It is like watching them become themselves. Chickens who were kept in cramped wire cages take the first, tentative steps of their lives; soon they are running. A pig who knew nothing but concrete floors and metal bars discovers the joy of mud-bathing — legs stretching, mouth agape.

Humans, too, are transformed. Some meet farm animals for the first time and are delighted to discover that each individual has a unique personality. Hundreds of visitors have told us that, having now met chickens, cows and pigs, they can no longer eat these creatures. Others, witnessing the suffering our rescued animals have endured, and the persistence of their spirits in the face of it, feel their own spirit of service galvanized. Whether we express it through changes of habit or dramatic redirections of course, we are moved by the animals to live a little outside of ourselves, to live a little for them. Our shelters are really sanctuaries for people as well as animals. In healing them, we are healed. In recognizing the feeling beings they are, we become more feeling.

Over the past two decades, Farm Sanctuary has rescued thousands of animals. We are grateful to have been able to undertake both small rescues and several ambitious, large-scale ones; to be able to provide state-of-the art care for our animal residents; and to be able to place animals in permanent, loving homes, at our shelters and elsewhere. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the many people without whom this work would not be possible: To our generous donors and supporters; to the compassionate members of our Farm Animal Adoption Network, who allow us to rescue and place needy animals even when our shelters are full; and to our dedicated staff, interns and volunteers.

Part of the Community

 

by Leanne

In California, we were pleased to recently celebrate the centennial of Orland, where our shelter is located, with the rest of the local community. Farm Sanctuary has been a proud part of Orland’s history for the past 16 years, and we recognized this bond by joining many other businesses and organizations in a parade through town.

Volunteers began creating the parade float several weeks before the event. As they labored over scrap wood, metal and other supplies found around the farm, a miniature barn and crew of critters slowly took shape. Colorful cutouts representing sanctuary animals drawn by talented interns were affixed to the mini barn and trailer, and a life-size pig figure sat on the edge to greet the crowds. On the day of the parade, hundreds of people flocked to the streets to enjoy the festivities.

Many of Orland’s establishments provide nourishing food and vital veterinary care to our animals, while others donate plants to beautify the farm or add tasty vegan meals and treats to their menus to satisfy our compassionate palates. We appreciate all of the help and support from our neighbors and look forward to celebrating with them again.

  

The Pig in the Mirror

 

by Susie

Pigs have a reputation for loving their food, and I can tell you from experience that it’s justified — our pigs love to eat! Thanks to a paper published in this month’s Animal Behavior and reported by WIRED, maybe they’ll also get a reputation for the unusually clever way in which they are capable of finding that food.

The paper, co-authored by animal behavior expert Donald Bloom of the University of Cambridge, relates his investigation of how pigs use mirrors. Observing mirror use is one way scientists evaluate the cognitive processing abilities of animals, and species that have been shown to use mirrors effectively include some primates, dolphins and elephants.

In the Cambridge study, researchers placed a mirror in a pen with eight pigs for five hours. The pigs spent time looking at their reflections and shifting position to see themselves from different angles, behavior that indicates an understanding of the relationship between their own movements and those of their reflections. Then the pigs were placed in a new pen that contained both a mirror and a hidden food bowl. Seven of the eight found the reflection of the bowl in the mirror and then headed straight for the correct location of the actual bowl, applying deduction to what they observed and remembered about their environment and their own actions. The performance of these pigs suggests something scientists call "assessment awareness" and also provides evidence of self-awareness.

This and many other studies lend the authority of the scientific method to a truth that those of us who work closely with pigs have known since our first acquaintance with the creatures: A pig knows who she is; she knows what she likes; and she’s pretty darn smart about getting it.

Take for instance the way pigs react to their regular health checks here at the sanctuary. These checks involve hoof and tusk trimming, and the pigs are not fans. When they see the tell tales signs of health checks — the healthcare kit, halter, clip board, and a crew of caregivers — a few of the more bashful pigs head immediately for the far reaches of the pastures.

This time of year we also have apples in large tubs in the tack area of the pig barn. People come and go throughout the day with no reaction from the pigs, but when a certain pal of theirs arrives at the barn, the mere sound of her voice gets everyone up and active, knowing that the apples will most likely be distributed. They are amazingly wise. I could go on and on and list so many examples of their intelligence, but this is a blog and not a novel, so I will save them for the next time I react to a study.

I hope that, as science continues to provide more evidence of the intelligence and emotions of farm animals, more people will be inspired to take a look in the mirror and examine how their own choices are affecting these creatures with whom we share such kinship. Professor Bloom hits the nail on the head in discussing the significance of his paper: "If an animal is [perceived as] clever, it is less likely to be treated as if it is an object or a machine to produce food, and more likely to be considered as an individual of value in itself."

We at Farm Sanctuary are privileged to know many of these individuals personally. We know that coming face-to-face with a pig can feel like looking in a mirror because of the way she returns your gaze. A pig looks you right in the eye, with startling clarity, with cognizance, with recognition.

The Fruits of Compassionate Labor

By Leanne

This summer we had the distinct pleasure of working with a group of volunteers from the First Congregational Church of Berkley. Accompanied by several adult chaperones, this group of eight high school students arrived at the California Shelter early on a Monday morning (after receiving their first introductory tour on Sunday), ready to start tackling a long list of projects they aspired to complete: building a jungle gym for the goats, activity boxes for the rabbits, nesting boxes for the owls who live in our hay barn, and compost bins for our Education Center. Of course, they also found time for some extra fun activities like brushing the animals and feeding them tasty treats, and every day ended with an educational program, one of which included baking cookies for the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale event that we held at the local farmers market in Chico.

The first morning of the volunteers’ week at the farm was a bit hectic as we gathered together the necessary supplies and equipment for their ambitious shelter projects. While half the group worked on this, the other half started becoming more acquainted with the animals – gently brushing our elderly steers and feeding fresh apples and carrots to the sheep and goats. Once everything was ready, the group started plugging away with great determination, and, by the end of the very first day, they completed and placed a newly-constructed compost bin made of recycled pallets at our Education Center. From this day forward, despite the intense California heat, their momentum never faltered as they put their shoulders firmly to the wheel for the animals and completed the cozy nesting boxes for the owls, the goat jungle gym and rabbit fun boxes.

The goat’s playground was designed by a member of the church and was composed of seven sections of varying heights connected with ramps, allowing a goat standing at the top of this structure to truly be the king or queen of the mountain. The group worked diligently cutting and putting together all of the wood for the structure while taking breaks to assist us with sheep health checks, too! After all of the sections were completed, we brought them to the goat pasture to be assembled on a newly-flattened area of ground. At first, the goats were more interested in getting attention from our go-getting group of volunteers, and scratching their heads on the loose pieces of wood on the ground, but then one goat, Buddy, slowly sauntered over to give the structure its first touch of approval. The rest, as they say, was history as the other goats joined in the fun.  

The fun boxes for the rabbits, designed during the group’s visit, were constructed to further enrich the rabbit barn by giving the bunnies additional spots to explore, burrow and play hide ‘n seek in. They constructed nine of these boxes, which could be stacked and moved around the barn for limitless possibilities of rabbit fun. Millie and MacBeth rabbits are especially fond of their new boxes, and often hang out in them all day long.

On the last day of their visit, all of the volunteers gathered with Farm Sanctuary interns and staff to enjoy some tasty vegan ice cream and cookies as a "thank you" for all of their hard work for the animals. Their spirit and energy was contagious and the fruits of their labor will last for many years to come. For this, we couldn’t be more grateful.

Farm Sanctuary volunteer opportunities like this one are a fun, positive way to meet new friends, pitch in with critical chores and projects, spend time with the animals, and learn more about the work that we do. If you, or a group you’re involved in, would like to give us a hand on the farm, we’d love to have the help! Learn more about volunteering here.