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Farm Animal Rescue Stories · Photos · Animal Diaries

Hilda · Queenie · Cody Day · Jethro · Astoria · Flanders · Bella · Christy

Hilda
It was because of Hilda that Farm Sanctuary was started. Hilda had been crowded onto a truck with dozens of others like her. The truck had been driving for many hours in the heat, and Hilda got so hot and thirsty that she collapsed. When the truck got to the stockyard, where animals are bought and sold, she was thrown on a pile of dead animals. Farm Sanctuary's founders were there investigating the stockyard and saw her raise her wooly head. They had to help her, but there weren't any places to take rescued farm animals, so they started Farm Sanctuary. Hilda became the very first resident and lived a long, happy life. Since then, Farm Sanctuary has rescued thousands of forgotten, abused, and unwanted animals from all across the country.

Queenie
In a daring escape from certain death, a young, 500-pound cow, later named Queenie, ran away from a meat market in New York City that keeps live animals and lets people choose which ones they want to eat. Queenie's choice was freedom, and she braved the streets of the big city to get it, surprising everyone she met along the way. Police finally caught her and planned to take her back to the meat market. Thankfully though, many kind people made calls asking the city and the owner of the meat market not to turn Queenie into steaks, but to let her go to Farm Sanctuary instead. They agreed! Queenie made national news with her great escape, making it clear that animals do have feelings, and showing why many people choose not to eat them. She now lives happily with her new cow friends at Farm Sanctuary in New York.

Cody Day
Cody Day and 21 other sheep and goats were found suffering without food, water or basic medical care at a Wisconsin farm. Sick and very skinny, they had been living amid the corpses of 26 dead animals for some time, and were suffering from severe foot infections. The owner of the farm had been keeping the goats and sheep on ten acres and was using them for food in his Mexican Restaurant, until he stopped taking care of them. Neighbors started noticing piles of dead animals on the property, as well as several animals escaping the farm. This was reported to the sheriff, and soon afterwards, the police went out to the property to see what was going on. When Farm Sanctuary was contacted, we happily agreed to take in the survivors found on the farm. Even though the goats arrived at our New York Shelter sick and underweight, they had big appetites and healed quickly with proper medical attention. Cody Day and her friends are now healthy, happy and living life to the fullest.

Jethro
Just before Christmas in 1998, Jethro was saved from becoming someone's holiday dinner. He and another pig, Ellie May, were rescued by kind people and temporarily housed in an animal shelter in New Jersey. Then the two happy pigs came to live at Farm Sanctuary. Here, Jethro and Ellie May are valued as living, feeling beings, worthy of respect, not as food. They spend their days doing what all pigs would love to have the chance to do: rolling in the mud, snoozing in clean warm straw, and running around with their friends.

Astoria
Astoria and her friends were found living in awful conditions at an egg factory farm that claimed to be kind to its hens. The hens were pale and very sick at the time of their rescue. Each bird was missing more than fifty percent of the feathers on her body and each had been painfully debeaked. Their toenails were so long when they arrived at Farm Sanctuary and they walked so funny, that it was clear they had never even been allowed to walk before. Sadly, even though some farms claim to treat their animals well, they really don’t. Thankfully, Astoria and her friends are now enjoying the freedom of sanctuary life at our California Shelter and teaching visitors that a cage is no place for a chicken.

Flanders
Flanders was rescued from an abandoned farm in New York. Along with two other geese and four goats, he was left to find food and water on his own. Happily, Farm Sanctuary staff members were able to rescue Flanders and the other six animals and brought them to live at our New York Shelter. Here, these lucky survivors have plenty of good food to eat, fresh water to drink and a large pond to swim in whenever they want. Here they get to do whatever they want to do and they know they’ll never be abandoned again.

Bella
Bella was found wandering the streets of a small town in Northern California. A Farm Sanctuary member saw Bella get hit by a car, and decided to help the little duck find a safe and happy home. When we were told that Bella needed help, we welcomed her with open arms, grateful for the chance to give her a good life. Here at our California Shelter, Bella spends her days wandering the barnyard with her dear friend Miss Della, swimming in our cool pond, and sleeping in the sun, knowing she'll never be alone or in danger again.

Christy
Christy and her friends were rescued from an unkind man who was raising chickens and rabbits for food. The man kept the animals in awful conditions in the trailer park where he lived and had a butcher table set up outside of his home. After receiving repeated warnings of neglect from police, the man agreed to give Christy and her companions to the authorities. Now safe at Farm Sanctuary, these brave survivors are living a great life and are always treated kindly.