Hi friend! Sara here! Are you looking for a fun, educational activity to participate in locally with your kiddos? Maybe even something that will help to encourage them to eat more vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains? I have a recommendation! How about visiting a local animal sanctuary? These sanctuaries are present across the U.S. and house animals rescued from cruelty cases, and slaughter-bound animals from the animal agriculture industry, as well as homeless animals.
The beauty of these sanctuaries is that they often have tours available, so that you can go to hear the animals’ stories, and interact with them up close. This can help kids to see animals as individuals with personalities as unique as their own. Sometimes you can even bring vegetables to share with the residents– such a fun activity for children!
Getting to know these animals and seeing them up close helps to reinforce the reasons why you are eating a more plant-centered diet. People are compassionate and do not support cruelty, so this can be an activity which makes a lasting impression on the adults as well as the kids in the family. It’s so fun to connect with these animals that you might otherwise not get a chance to interact with.
It’s also educational, learning about the nuances of the different species and even the differences between individuals. The animals enjoy the interaction with their human visitors. Pigs love belly rubs, while goats prefer neck scratches, and chickens appreciate being petted beneath their wings.
I have a funny story about my hubs and my first visit to Broken Shovels: we got taken by a chicken bandit! On our way out, Hubs was washing his hands in the sink (which is outdoors, and just drains onto the ground). Unbeknownst to him, the cold water caused his wedding ring to slip off. He only noticed the ring was gone after we returned home. He called Andrea who runs the sanctuary. She has a metal detector, and went out to look around the sink, but the ring was nowhere to be found. We thought it was gone forever. We didn’t realize it, but Andrea does not give up so easily. About a week later, we received a call that the ring had indeed been found– on the other end of the property, from where we’d been! She said she thought a chicken had picked it up because it was a shiny object, and took off with it! Must have been a girl! Too funny!
We’ve visited these sanctuaries a handful of times, and each time we leave feeling happier than we did prior to going. It is such a soul-soothing experience. They are all dependent upon donations from supporters to operate, as well as volunteers to help care for the animals. We’ve also made it a Christmas tradition to do a donation to our favorite sanctuaries. We also like to periodically get on their websites and “sponsor” a resident to help with their monthly costs. Some even have annual galas to raise money, and this is a fun date night, and an opportunity to dress up with a great cause to support.
There are a few of these in Colorado, so if you live here, you have many options! Our favorites which are close to us are: Wild Animal Sanctuary, Luvin’ Arms Animal Sanctuary and Broken Shovels Farm Animal Sanctuary.
Wild Animal Sanctuary is the oldest and largest nonprofit sanctuary in the world, and they focus on rescuing captive exotic and large carnivores. They have a variety of African Lions, Tigers, Bears, Wolves, Jaguars, Mountain Lions, Leopards, Bobcats, Lynx, Coati Mundi, a Camel, Coyotes, Foxes, Porcupines, Raccoons, Ostriches, Emus, Alpacas and Horses. They have even rescued 39 Tigers and 3 Bears from “Joe Exotic”, aka the Tiger King. They offer a unique elevated walkway that spans the property, so that you can view these animals from above, which is better for these animals, as they don’t enjoy people on ground level in their habitat, so less stressful for them.
Broken Shovels Farm Sanctuary is a sanctuary for homeless, abused, neglected, used, slaughter-bound animals. It offers a place of healing, growth and education for all people who wish to see the world become a better place for all animals, human and non-human. They are a safe place for Llamas, alpacas, chickens, goats, waterfowl, sheep, cows, pigs, donkeys, and turkeys. They offer tours where you can bring chopped fruits and veggies to feed to their residents. Not to mention “Goats in Reno” nights where you can go to the sanctuary to watch a movie (outside of these COVID times).
Luvin’ Arms Animal Sanctuary is a Farm Animal Sanctuary, which offers a safe home to cows, pigs, turkeys, chickens, horses, goats, sheep, ducks, and a chukar partridge. These residents were rescued from horrific situations including abuse and neglect cases, factory farms, religious rituals, slaughterhouse-bound trucks, bankrupt farms, and more. They were left with nowhere to turn and would have been slaughtered if they hadn’t been saved. They have created a sanctuary of inspiration and connection where people are empowered to create change that leads to more compassionate choices for themselves, for the planet, and justice for all beings. They offer 2 types of tours, as well as private tours where you get to be up close and interact with the residents who appreciate the attention.
Tell me: have you visited a sanctuary? What was your experience? Would you go again? What was your favorite part?
