Farm Sanctuary

Farm Sanctuary is dedicated to preventing farm animal suffering and ending abusive animal agricultural practices through rescue and shelter programs, investigative campaigns, legislation and legal actions, and education and outreach projects. Farm Sanctuary is the nation’s largest farm animal protection organization, with over 150,000 supporters across the country. It was founded in 1986 when Hilda, a sheep, was found dumped alive on a stockyard dead pile. Her rescue led to the creation of shelters and advocacy efforts to prevent cruelty to farmed animals. Farm Sanctuary started the nation’s first shelter for farm animals in 1986. The group is currently operating a 175-acre farm shelter in Watkins Glen, New York and a 300-acre farm shelter in Orland, California. The shelters provide daily, lifelong care for nearly 1000 cows, pigs, chickens, and other farm animals. Farm Sanctuary operates a national farm animal adoption network, which has placed thousands of rescued farm animals into loving, adoptive homes, and organizes an emergency rescue team of volunteers who offer rescue and transport of farm animals in need. Farm Sanctuary is working for the passage of federal and state legislation to prevent farm animal suffering. Current legislative efforts include bills to ban cruel veal crates for calves and gestation crates for pregnant pigs, legislation to outlaw the force feeding of birds for foie gras, and legislation to prevent the marketing and slaughter of downed animals (animals too weak or injured to stand). Farm Sanctuary has initiated legal actions to prevent the slaughter of downed animals for human food and to prevent the inhumane slaughter of poultry, including a lawsuit against the New Jersey Department of Agriculture that drafted humane standards codifying cruel farming practices. Farm Sanctuary investigates stockyards, factory farms and slaughterhouses to document conditions and initiate campaigns to stop farm animal suffering. The group has brought national attention to the plight of “downed” animals and its No Downers Campaign led to the first cruelty convictions of U.S. stockyards, as well as the passage of the first state law banning “downed” animal abuses. It has also exposed the cruelties of industrialized farms by obtaining first-hand documentation of the abuses of veal crates, gestation crates and battery cages. Farm Sanctuary’s education and outreach programs include: a volunteer internship program; humane education projects; the VegForLife campaign which provides resources for people wanting to lead a cruelty-free lifestyle and encourages restaurants across the country to offer vegetarian options; an annual Adopt-A-Turkey project encouraging people to save a turkey rather than serving one for Thanksgiving; and Shelter visitor programs. In addition, Farm Sanctuary hosts several special events throughout the year including Celebrations FOR the Turkeys during Thanksgiving, Independence Day Pignics, the Farm Animal Forum, Country Hoe Downs and a Critter Care Conference for those looking to open their own farm animal sanctuaries. Here is a recent article about a goat who escaped a Brooklyn slaughterhouse to find refuge at Farm Sanctuary: Watkins Glen, NY – January 9, 2007 On Saturday, January 6, Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization, welcomed Joey the goat to its New York Shelter. A young goat around six months old, was found on Wednesday, January 3, wandering among pedestrians in Brooklyn, New York in a busy intersection on Hoyt Street. The Brooklyn branch of Animal Care & Control of New York City (AC&C) was called in to rescue him, after receiving a call from a local resident. Joey is a Boer goat, a larger breed originally from South Africa. Given his ear tag, Brooklyn AC&C determined he must have escaped a slaughterhouse. Around the world goats are often used for their meat, milk and hair. In fact, goat meat consumption in the U.S. has increased by 64 percent from 1999 to 2003, due in large part to increased consumption of ethnic foods, including Latin American, Middle Eastern and Caribbean cuisine. Brooklyn, NY is home to multiple slaughterhouses that provide goat meat to local communities and other parts of the U.S. Joey is very lucky to have found his way to Farm Sanctuary said Susie Coston, Farm Sanctuary’s New York Shelter director, So many goats aren’t as fortunate and more and more are slaughtered for their meat every year in the U.S. Goats are often compared to dogs in their temperament and personalities, and I can see why. Each one of our rescued goats is a unique individual, and if one takes the time to know Joey, Simon, Pearl, TJ, Elvis, Jerry Lee or any of the rest, they would never consider eating them. Now safe at Farm Sanctuary, Joey will receive a full medical check to make sure he is healthy. He will then be introduced to the other 34 goats residing at Farm Sanctuary’s New York Shelter. All have come from various rescue and abuse cases across the U.S., including one goat, Simon, who was also rescued off the streets of Brooklyn, found near several live markets. Other slaughterhouse escapees residing at Farm Sanctuary’s New York Shelter include Queenie, a cow who escaped a slaughterhouse in Queens, NY, Cinci Freedom, a cow who jumped a 6-foot fence at a slaughterhouse in Cincinnati, OH, and Annie Dodge, a cow who escaped an auction house in Vermont. these escape artists challenge the notion that farm animals are meant for slaughter added Coston. Joey, and the rest of our escapees had the will and the means to run for their lives. I can’t help but wonder how many others would escape, if only given the opportunity.