Where as the point of a pet animal sanctuary is clear (to rescue and re-home unwanted pets), a farm animal sanctuary causes some people to scratch their heads. After all there is no way that we could rescue all the farm animals from abuse and slaughter. In fact the tiny amount that are rescued by a farm sanctuary do not even make a dent in the huge amount of abuse faced by the rest of their species.
The point of a farm sanctuary is not to rescue every farmed animal. There is no way anyone could. Of course each animal that is rescued from slaughter, factory farming or whatever life of abuse they suffered is an individual and this is an important point to remember. Each and every life saved is worth the effort, care and love. At least a few farm animals will have the chance to express their natural behavior and live a life free from abuse, suffering and a horrific death.
In the scheme of things though, most people in the animal rights movement will see the most important role of these sanctuaries as education. Farm sanctuaries that open to the public give both kids and adults a chance to get up close and personal with farm animals, probably for the first time in their lives. Watching videos from the huge Farm Sanctuary in the USA, you can see members of the public giving a blissful pig a belly scratch, cuddling a chicken or stroking a turkey. They can watch these animals expressing their natural behaviors and see how much they enjoy it.
Many people will just come for a fun day out with the kids (everyone loves animals right?) but will leave with fresh knowledge that these animals are sentient beings capable of a wide variety of feelings. They will also see these animals as they should be kept. These experiences can be enough for some people to begin questioning the way they live and the choices they make.
It is a good idea to have an education centre at the sanctuary so that people can learn more about the animals they meet and the inhumane way they are treated on modern farms. Even if a small percentage of these people decide to make the change to vegetarian or veganism then it is worth it. There are opportunities for schools to spend the day at some farm sanctuaries. Imagine the impact that day could have on the kids.
I think a compassionate life is a life worth living and by starting a farm sanctuary I hope to join others in not only saving individual animals and giving them a safe and happy life, but also in educating the public and advocating for change.
