Last weekend I spent my Saturday afternoon among a bunch of pigs…and chickens…and an amazing group of vegans. I attended the Out to Pasture Sanctuary open house. This was my second year to attend. Last year I was inspired enough to sponsor a pig (Hamey) for a year. Of course I renewed my sponsorship this year.
So why sponsor an animal living at a sanctuary? It is more than just for the health of the animal, although that alone is a worthy reason.
Farm animal sanctuaries allow people to get up close and personal with animals that they may only have ever experienced served on a plate. Animals have individual personalities and high levels of intelligence that go unnoticed by most people. An afternoon watching a mischievous pig play the crowd for a bit of vegan sausage or a chicken looking back at you with a clear sense of curiosity is an experience everyone should have before they are allowed to go to a fast food drive through. 
This argument of allowing people to experience animals is often given as an excuse for zoos but sanctuaries are not zoos or circuses. These animals are cared for, loved and respected. No tricks, no enduring an endless stream of young kids poking at them, and no confinement in cages with concrete floors. Unlike many zoos these animals are not subjected to studies or research. They are left to live as happily as possible with no expectation that they give back to the humans caring for them. Several of the animals at Out to Pasture didn’t even come out for a treat and that was fine with everyone. They did not owe us a thing. 
Additionally, sanctuaries are also often the only refuge for animals rescued from horrific conditions. Without them what would happen to those battered, weary, and fearful little lives in need of what is probably the first bit of compassion they have ever experienced?
I support animal sanctuaries. I donate to 2 of them annually and I sponsor Hamey. And for those who question why I would support animals when so much human suffering exists, I say suffering is suffering. Until all humans realize that, we will never be able to live in peace. I am helping humans even if they don’t know it or even care.
Interesting blog on zoos: http://kirschnerskorner.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/would-you-leave-your-dog-at-the-zoo/
This is very cool. My wife went to a farm animal sanctuary not too long after she had gone vegan, and it really cemented it for her. She had started as a heath vegan, but after that she said to me “You know, even if the health benefits went away, I don’t think I could ever eat animal products again.”
For Christmas, I’m sponsoring a goat for her, and we’re planning on spending Thanksgiving there as well. I haven’t visited yet, but I look forward to when I can finally get over there. . .
Thanks so much for this post, and enjoy chillin’ with Hamey!
By: VegansHusband on August 5, 2012
at 4:43 am
Thanksgiving at an animal sanctuary sounds wonderful! I would love to do that one day. It just seems like the perfect way to honor the animals that for so long have been slaughtered in the name of a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
By: Debbie on August 5, 2012
at 1:41 pm
Cool! My wife and I have sponsored animals at farm Sanctuary for years. We visited on Thanksgiving one year and fed Thanksgiving dinner TO the turkeys – what an incredible experience!
I agree with your feelings about zoos; no matter how they attempt to justify them, zoos are not a natural or truly nourishing habitat. Shame that the PDX zoo has such a great concert series; I’d love to go but all the concerts support the atrocities that plague that institution.
Here’s something else to chew on: if zoos aren’t a natural habitat for elephants, are our homes a natural habitat for cats and dogs? Honestly, no. What we call feral cats and wild dogs are really just animals living normally without human interference. This is another reason why we need to support spay/neuter programs, stop breeders, and greatly reduce populations of both pets and people. This isn’t a popular position, but our rampant population has already outgrown our planet’s ability to sustainably support us. One way or another our population WILL be reduced to sustainable levels; ideally that reduction might be on our terms rather than by the planet’s reaction to the stress we cause, expressed as climate catastrophe, disease, etc.
By: Know Thank You on August 5, 2012
at 2:01 pm
When I lived in Florida we had feral pigs everywhere. I loved them. And I agree with you. Animals should never have been domesticated. We have made them dependent on us and that is wrong. If tomorrow all of the domesticated dogs were gone I would very much miss having them in my home. But at the same time I hope I could be happy for the liberation.
By: Debbie on August 7, 2012
at 9:46 pm
Wow – This is cool for me… Just 5 minutes ago I left Invisible Voices with news of their event at Poplar Springs Sanctuary. Between the two I almost feel like I’ve had a happy day of it too! http://invisiblevoices.wordpress.com/2012/08/03/2012-farm-tour-at-poplar-spring-animal-sanctuary/#comment-9124
To quote the take away message at Polar “You just can’t tell the stories of these rescued animals without it being a lesson in “why vegan”.” Excellent!
By: Provoked on August 10, 2012
at 4:06 pm
I love that quote!! I have decided that from now on when I go to the sanctuary I am going to take someone with me. I can’t believe that anyone can look into the face of a happy pig and not think about why they are willing to eat such an amazing, aware being.
By: Debbie on August 14, 2012
at 7:06 pm