Yesterday we went on a drive to visit Catskill Animal Sanctuary. They are a sanctuary for abused or neglected farm animals, and have over 200 animals on a 110 acre farm about an hour’s drive south of Albany.
From pigs to ducks to horses to rabbits, they have just about every type of animal you’d find on a farm. Except donkeys! Although they do in theory keep donkeys, apparently donkeys are very easy to adopt out so they rarely have any living permanently on the sanctuary itself.
It’s quite a lovely place, ran by volunteers and funded by donation. We went on an hour-long guided tour, in which we learned all about the animals including where they came from and why. Some of these beasts have endured hardships that even our cat Emi couldn’t imagine, so it’s heartwarming to know they are now in a safe and happy place.
I was particularly surprised by how far they go to rescue animals. For instance they flew to Kansas and rented a truck to drive 40 chickens back with them to the farm! Unfortunately many animals that are the victim or abuse (including unintentional from pathological animal hoarders) are euthanized, and places like Catskill only have a very narrow window of opportunity to rescue them.
Particularly moving were the three blind horses they keep. One is shown above (the mask is not because he is blind, it’s to stop flies from bothering him). None of these horses were intentionally blinded, mostly it happened because of a lack of medical care or just old age. But I never knew horses had a predilection for blindness, and it was striking to see three together (one with ‘false eyes’). I can assure you they liked being petted as much as any horse!
Look at those pigs! We learned that baby pigs are disciplined by their mums (via headbutts!), so when babies are separated from parents early they can grow up to be rambunctious. The pig in that picture is a monster 1000-pounder. It was so dense that you can (and people did!) sit on it like a sofa 🙂
Sheeps! They actually had a different type of sheep in another paddock, but I guess they were a bit mean to the other sheep and had to be separated. These guys were part of a bigger flock that had been separated between several sanctuaries and had originated from a guy in upstate NY who was running an illegal abattoir.
As you can see, I made a friend in this rooster. He was heavy and snuggled up to me like a cat does. His feathers were so soft! I think he loved me as much as I loved him 😉
The place was absolutely worth the trip, and it was reassuring to know there are people out there who dedicate their time to helping animals in terrible situations. If you’re ever in the area, I recommend a visit.
A heartwarming post, mate. Cheers.
I would love this farm, the horse impressed me. I hope you gave the good voluteers a little donation for their caring dedicated work.
Because of this post I made a donation to their cause.