Susie Coston of Farm Sanctuary discusses the recent rescue of 200 hens from a factory farm. The horrific injuries, both physical and emotional, that these gentle, sentient beings have sustained are a direct result of humans believing that hens are nothing more than objects to be used. The only way to move forward is to acknowledge that they are individuals whose lives - and eggs - are their own.
This made me cry. This is what you’re supporting if you buy eggs.
Lewa Wildlife Conservancy is proud to be hand-raising another rhino calf. The young rhino was orphaned just over a month ago when poachers killed his mother on Ol Pejeta Conservancy. The calf was immediately moved to Lewa and is being hand-raised alongside Nicky. Their keepers say the two have become quick friends- feeding, playing and even sleeping together! We thank our rangers for the good job they are doing
Mental health care as a vegan of color is seeing cute media of people of color taking care of animals. Because it seems like only white people caring for animals is newsworthy.
This past weekend, Animal Place’s Rescue Ranch welcomed four roosters saved during a cockfighting raid in Yolo County, Calif. And it is only because of our Rescue Ranch program that when the Yolo County SPCA reached out for assistance we could offer help. With more than a dozen roosters at our permanent sanctuary and limited staff time to safely integrate fighting roosters into barns, it is not feasible for Animal Place to permanently take in roosters saved from these raids.
A few months ago, Yolo County law enforcement raided a cockfight in progress. Eleven people were arrested and, despite clear evidence that they were spectators at the bloodsport, none have been charged. It is a sad reality that cockfighting is not treated the same as dogfighting or other acts of cruelty. Around 80 roosters were confiscated. Under normal circumstances, once custody is granted to shelters, these birds are often euthanized. They are not put up for adoption, despite the fact that groups like VINE Sanctuary have been integratingformer fighting roosters into their flocks of chickens for years.
It is important to note that gamefowl are not naturally inclined to kill each other. In a normal flock, multiple roosters do coexist together. Fights happen, but more often than not, these are short-lived scuffles. Cockfighters socially isolate roosters, often tethering them so they cannot express natural behaviors or explore their surroundings. As with dogs, tethering and social isolation leads to frustration and boredom in chickens. Their spurs, large nails used during normal rooster fights, are cut off and cockfighters attach sharp knives to maximize damage during forced fighting. Prior to the bloodsport, roosters may be injected with drugs like methamphetamine. And when the roosters are faced with each other, it is in a pit where they cannot escape. The roosters fight because they are petrified, high on drugs, undersocialized, and forced in a pit.
Are these birds adoptable? Yes! We have placed birds from cockfighting raids in the past. Some can be housed with other roosters, but will need experienced chicken handlers to integrate in multi-rooster homes. Remember, they have to unlearn the cruel lessons taught by humans. But with patience and following the practices of sanctuaries with ample experience, it can be done. These roosters will do well as single roosters with hens. They have already shown a strong desire to be around hens - the moment they saw the hens saved from an egg farm, they started to search for food to offer them!
We want to thank Angela Kinn of the Yolo County SPCA for contacting us. She spoke up for these roosters. She evaluated every single one for signs of human aggression and selected 10 of the tamest roosters. In an ideal world, ALL 80 roosters would be free from human control, living feral and free. That is not the world we live in now, though. The surviving roosters will become ambassadors for all roosters and hens exploited for the cruel bloodsport of cockfighting. More importantly, they will live out their lives and be treated as unique individuals. We will be able to take in more of the ten once these four roosters are placed. They will go through a standard health quarantine and be dewormed and deloused prior to placement. They would love to go home with some of the 750 hens saved from a battery cage egg farm! If you are interested in adopting, fill out our form!
What’s the personality of the roosters? They vary! All 80 of the roosters confiscated had varying degrees of fear towards humans. Some expressed that fear with aggression towards people. These roosters would do well in a more free-range setting, but unfortunately most of our adopters prefer roosters who can coexist with people safely. So the roosters who have been selected have softer temperaments. They are not flighty and are used to being around people. The four we initially took in are incredibly sweet birds. One kept trying to show staff where food was and acted miffed that the humans weren’t following his instructions! One made the sweet, gentle callings roosters make to calm hens.
Can’t adopt? You can still help! Transition to a vegan lifestyle - it’s the easiest way to be compassionate to the most number of nonhumans! You can start by signing up for our weekly recipe list - Sanctuary Sweets. If you hear of roosters being confiscated from fight-busts, contact the shelter responsible and ask that they work with sanctuaries like ours to evaluate and rehome some of the roosters. The excuse “we can’t verify where they go” is not good enough. These roosters are living, sentient beings. They are not ferocious beasts but frightened chickens! Contact the district attorney responsible for charging fighters with animal cruelty and ask that current laws be enforced and cruelty to roosters be taken seriously. There was once a time when dogs confiscated from fight busts were summarily killed without concern for individual temperament. Times have changed for these dogs and we’d like to see times change for these roosters too. Be a part of that change.
Chicken respect day is every day around Animal Place. Of the 250+ animals living here, 174 of them are chickens. They take their job of chicken-hood very seriously. Throughout the month of May, we’re going to give you a bazillion reasons to love chickens and not eat them or their eggs. The best way to do that is with pictures.
Since we failed at life and didn’t post anything May 1-3rd, we’re posting four photographs today with some reasons why you should respect chickens.
Today is International Respect for Chickens Day which our friends at United Poultry Concerns invented…because seriously, someone had to! But this whole month is all about honoring our feathered friends. So expect to become experts on Chicken Respect by the end of this month!
Here I spelled “baths” like they do in Europe, maybe. Probably not. It’s a typo, deal with it.
See you tomorrow with more fun chicken photos…and hope you are inspired to love chickens, not eat them or their eggs!
-Marji Beach, education director and pretend chicken whisperer
Lauren Ornelas of Food Empowerment Project wearing our boycott puppy mills shirt. FEP is receiving 5% of every sale for the next month. Check out foodispower.org
Lila Domestic Short Hair: An adoptable cat in Kansas City, MO Small • Adult • Female
Lila is a very sweet young lady that loves to purr and rub all over you. She tested negative for feline leukemia, and is up to date of vacccines. Come by Aid Animal Hospital or call 816-363-4922 to meet the sweetie pie!
More about Lila Spayed/Neutered • Up-to-date with routine shots • House trained • Primary color: Tabby – Brown or Chocolate
Sneak peek photo! One of four roosters we took in from a cockfighting bust. Safe and sound at our Rescue Ranch adoption center. Their story coming Tuesday!
If you or anyone you know is in the LA area and can foster a Momma cat and three kittens please message me!!!! These babies need to be rescued from the streets, they’re safe in an enclosure right now but they need medical attention from a vet and a warm place to stay until they can be adopted out.
I would take them in a heartbeat but my kitty doesn’t play well with others :( Please spread the word!
oh no homeless kittens, i’m gonna post this to my facebook. :( :( :(
Nicole and I volunteered last weekend at Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY and had our hearts stolen by these beautiful individuals. The depth, personality, and charm of these animals exceeded all our expectations. We can’t recommend highly enough that you find the nearest sanctuary and get acquainted with these wonders.
KS – Jake Brittany Spaniel: An adoptable dog in Kansas City, KS Medium • Senior • Male
Hi, I’m Jake! I used to be an outside dog but have found that, even though I love running and playing outside, I like living inside with people and with my other dog buddies. I really want a new home that has other dog buddies for me to play with! It is so fun to have people around to love on me whenever I feel like it! Now that my heartworms are gone foster mom says it’s time that I find an even more fun place! Some place with a bigger yard, more trees and varmints and maybe even people that like to hike the river or woods trails sometimes. I like other dogs and get along well with the ones here. I like toys too and my favorite is the rope kind. I found a plush toy but foster mom called me a “de-stuffer” and took it away. I like cats too but foster mom says they are not prey (puh!) and I should not be in a pack with cats. I am 9 years old but am a typical brit with high energy and have no intention of retiring to lying on the porch just yet. I am smart and know lots of commands too. I love being with people and really want to please them. I know how to sit, down and take treats nicely. I potty outside and do not climb the fence. Foster mom says that I am a Good Boy! Do you want to be my new people?
If you are interested in adopting Jake, please visit www.NBRAN.org to complete an adoption application. Please contact Nancy Walker at nwalker@capecod.net or 508-896-3602. The fee to adopt Jake is $200 to offset his vetting and to allow NBRAN to rescue more of these wonderful pets. He is also eligible for our senior-to-senior program. Transportation can be arranged up 1500 miles with the adopter being responsible for the last 100 miles.
More about KS – Jake Pet ID: 12-0377 • Spayed/Neutered • House trained • Special Needs • Primary colors: White or Cream, Red, Chestnut or Orange
This is Micah. He needs a new home. I’m getting kicked out of my house so I need someone to adopt my cat. Otherwise he won’t have a home at all.
He just turned nine. He’s fixed, declawed, and litter trained. Micah is shy and defensive when he first meets someone, but he’s back to his normal self after about a week. Then it’s all love and cuddles from him! He’s very affectionate once he warms up to someone. He likes snuggling up in bed and being held like a teddy bear.
We’re in the Albuquerque area. I’d be willing to take him anywhere in New Mexico. If you’re interested in adopting him, please message me. Even if you can’t adopt a cat, please reblog so someone in the state can see this and help us!
Also photographic proof that he is the most lovey cat.
Please please PLEASE, everyone! I’m running out of time!
My favourite place in the world Freedom Hill Sanctuary need to raise money quickly to build some stables for the horses to keep warm over winter, they have under 20 days to raise the money. If you donate here they are offering shirts as a reward for donating, and have just added mens sizes. If you can’t afford to donate that’s fine, please share this link and reblog this post if you can.
Freedom hill is South Australias first and only farm sanctuary, they are run soley from donations and need as much help as they can get!
♥ Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials;
♥ Margaret Atwood (especially the Mad Adam series & The Handmaid's Tale);
♥ The Hunger Games;
♥ The X-Files;
♥ (Mostly) everything Joss Whedon; and
♥ Unicorns, narwhals, time travel & zombies (not necessarily in that order).
Also, I'd rather pretend that season 6 of Lost never happened, and that Alias ended with the 2003 Superbowl episode.
This past weekend, Animal Place’s Rescue Ranch welcomed four roosters saved during a cockfighting raid in Yolo County, Calif. And it is only because of our Rescue Ranch program that when the Yolo County SPCA reached out for assistance we could offer help. With more than a dozen roosters at our permanent sanctuary and limited staff time to safely integrate fighting roosters into barns, it is not feasible for Animal Place to permanently take in roosters saved from these raids. 
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