Sanctuaries

Explainer

What Farm Sanctuaries Do, and How to Support Them

Farm sanctuaries provide a second chance for animals used for food. Here’s what you need to know about these safe havens, and how to help them.

Policy•8 min read

Reported

Rosie’s Farm Sanctuary Is Strategizing to Save Animals

Michele Waldman realized she couldn’t save all the farm animals. But each cow, pig and hen at Rosie’s Farm Sanctuary serves as an ambassador on behalf of the billions.

Policy•7 min read

Reported

In Turkey, a Farm Sanctuary Became a Haven for all Animals

A farm sanctuary in Turkey rescued animals during the earthquake, and supported their humans too.

Policy•3 min read

Reported

4 Principles of the Microsanctuary Movement

The microsanctuary movement gives rescuers with limited resources a way to do the work.

Policy•8 min read

Reported

Can Vietnam’s ‘Last Bear Sanctuary’ Help End the Bile Trade?

Animal advocates are working with farmers and communities to get the last of the bile bears released to sanctuaries.

Policy•8 min read

Reported

Animal Sanctuaries Face a New Threat — Compassion Fatigue

“Animal caregivers tend to want to help others but not always themselves."

Policy•6 min read

Reported

How a Latinx-led Rescue Group Is Changing the Sanctuary Movement

The Latinx-led Chicago Roo Crew rescues roosters and works with the communities who keep and protect them.

Policy•7 min read

Reported

Animal Sanctuary Founder Jailed After Taking in Wandering Cows

Are sanctuary owners obligated to nearby cattle farms? A recent case sparked outrage among animal rights activists and farmers.

Policy•10 min read

Explainer

What Is An Animal Sanctuary? And Why Are Farm Sanctuaries So Important For Animals?

An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and be protected for the rest of their lives.

Policy•1 min read

Reported

The Disturbing Rise of the Pseudo-Sanctuary

A new paper finds businesses that exploit captive animals for profit are marketing themselves as sanctuaries to draw in conscious consumers.

Policy•5 min read

Perspective

Sentient Media Spotlight: Meet Farm Sanctuary’s Nirva Patel

"Meeting a cow or a sheep is just like meeting a new person...They may not be human, but you hear their stories and know they have the ability to suffer…

Policy•7 min read

Reported

When Pigs Escape: An Interview With Filmmaker Jusep Moreno

In 2021, a pregnant pig named Matilda escaped from a farm in England. Sentient Media spoke with the independent filmmaker who decided to turn her story into a film.

Policy•11 min read

Reported

Rescued Pangolins Find Sanctuary on the Liberian Coast

Despite their public profile soaring in the last three years, pangolins, dubbed “the world’s most trafficked mammal,” still face an uphill battle for survival.

Policy•5 min read

Reported

Inside the Massive Effort to Rescue Animals in Ukraine

Millions of lives have been impacted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, now in its second month. Animals, too, face the devastating impacts of the violence.

Policy•4 min read

Explainer

Russo-Ukrainian War: Resources and Groups to Support

The war impacts millions of lives, including the animals and advocates in Ukraine committed to protecting them. Here's what you can do to help.

Policy•3 min read

Perspective

Sentient Media Podcast: The Power of Blindness With Kathy Stevens

Catskill Animal Sanctuary co-founder Kathy Stevens and author of “Where the Blind Horse Sings” explains why animal sanctuaries have the power to change lives.

Podcast•33 min read

Perspective

What Animal Sanctuaries Can Teach Us About Creating Sanctuary for Each Other

Human-animal co-existence models an approach to care and empathy that could help guide us toward a more resilient future.

Policy•6 min read

Explainer

Animal Rescue: What You Need to Know to Start Rescuing Animals Today

Animal rescue is a social service that helps protect animals from dangerous situations that often involve cruelty and abuse. Find out how you can get involved.

Policy•11 min read

Reported

Rescue Teams Save 600+ Farmed Animals from the Caldor Fire

More than 600 farmed animals have been evacuated to three different shelters outside of the Caldor fire zone. That number is expected to grow, as teams work to bring every…

Policy•4 min read

Reported

When 4-H Kids Choose Sanctuary Over Slaughter

Writer Jessica Scott-Reid has a message for 4-H children everywhere who dutifully raise farmed animals only to watch them sold off to the highest bidder: There is another option.

Policy•5 min read

Reported

VIDEO: How Sweet Farm Helps Animals Rescued from Factory Farms

Join us as we visit Sweet Farm, an animal sanctuary located in Half Moon Bay, California, that is home to over 100 rescued animals.

Policy•1 min read

Reported

Pandemic Driving Virtual Connections Between Kids & Rescued Farmed Animals

Sanctuaries are implementing pen-pal programs in which children write letters to rescued farmed animals and—with the help of sanctuary workers—receive “replies” from the animals.

Policy•5 min read

Analysis

The Quiet Power of Farmed Animal Sanctuaries

Unique connections are made at farmed animal sanctuaries, and a new study shows that they have the power to inspire real change in their visitors.

Policy•5 min read

Reported

No Chemo for Pigs? Rescue Animals Face a Broken Veterinary System

Farmed animals' access to proper medical care is often limited by their status as “food animals," leaving sanctuary owners with few options for treatment.

Policy•6 min read

Perspective

“Petting Farms” Become Popular Post-Lockdown, But They Aren’t as Cute as They Seem

Petting farms—like petting zoos for farmed animals—perpetuate unrealistic ideas of animal farming, broadening the disconnect between the baby animals we love and the butchered animals we eat.

Policy•4 min read

Reported

1,000 Hens Rescued From Slaughter at Struggling Iowa Egg Farm

The farm planned to "depopulate" more than 100,000 chickens, so rescuers chartered two planes to fly a group of hens from the Iowa farm to a sanctuary in Grass Valley,…

Policy•3 min read

Perspective

Birth and Motherhood in a Slaughterhouse: Charlotte’s Story

Pregnant animals sent to slaughter, and their young, usually die anonymously. Only a miraculous few are rescued and brought to sanctuaries where humans can learn their stories.

Policy•5 min read

Perspective

Sanctuary Farms Offer a Model for Future Food System

A handful of farms across North America are blurring ethical lines by incorporating rescued farm animals into plant production. Is this the solution to our broken food system, or part…

Policy•5 min read

Reported

VIDEO: Berkeley Resident Opens Backyard to Rescued Chickens

Chickens are social animals–until we take their freedom away. They form groups, make friends, and help each other grow. Meet Hens of the Hills microsanctuary founder, Deirdre Duhan, and see…

Policy•2 min read

Perspective

Louie’s Story: Why Monkeys Should Never Be “Pets”

Many humans assume that sharing a home with a cute baby monkey will be endlessly fun. But in practice, owning an exotic animal proves detrimental for both the "pet" and…

Policy•4 min read

Reported

Changing the Way Society Views and Treats Animals: Gene Baur’s Journey to Farm Sanctuary

After nearly 35 years of animal advocacy, Farm Sanctuary co-founder Gene Baur is doubling down on his commitment to inspire and empower advocates wherever they are in their journeys.

Policy•8 min read

Perspective

Resilient Love: Pound Puppies and Their Strength to Overcome

If you have ever walked through your local animal shelter, you have seen the devastation animals are facing every day. But despite where they come from, these animals open their…

Policy•5 min read

Reported

Rescued From Foie Gras: A Second Chance At Life with Farm Sanctuary

Despite the atrocities birds face in foie gras facilities, Farm Sanctuary is able to provide intensive care to these animals and give them the life they deserve.

Policy•5 min read

Perspective

Neglected Calf Brought Back to Abusive Farm After Being Rescued

When will innocent lives matter more than human greed and pleasure?

Policy•4 min read

Reported

This Utah Farm Is Sparing 100 Turkeys from the Thanksgiving Slaughter

Farmers joining hands with so-called animal rights extremists could signal a change to the direct action model, one that hopefully takes place without the law having to get involved. Let’s…

Policy•5 min read