Micro-grants are available for individuals and organizations engaged in rescuing and caring for farmed animals, especially on small scales. The techniques and methods developed by our staff are used at sanctuaries across the country. Save Lives. According to the founder of the movement, Justin Van Kleeck, there is no hard and fast definition or set of guidelines for a microsanctuary. 6 talking about this. Fear not! Check it out below! Ultimately, those who wish to start their own animal sanctuaries must have the fortitude to make. Think you need dozens of acres and millions of dollars to provide sanctuary to farmed animals? We need to build a network of safe spaces for nonhuman animals, because in the next few years, we will rescue bunnies, chickens, pigs, and other animals to rescue them from exploitation and to tell their stories. Adding in a robust education and outreach program, public events, and other operational expansions will add even more expenses on top of the critical operating expenses. It is very difficult to predict what a resident’s personality may be like, especially when taking in animals who were abused or neglected, but you must be willing to meet them where they are. Rooster Haus Rescue . Even though the thought of starting an animal sanctuary had been with me for a while, it was always one of those things that was floating around in "the future". Consider starting smaller, like as a microsanctuary! This role in itself is a full-time job! The Hen Haven Microsanctuary is run by Nina Katrine Dahl-Klepsvik in Norway. Still Interested In Starting Your Own Farmed Animal Sanctuary? The animal rights movement cannot win without microsanctuaries. Many big-hearted individuals around the world have long dreamt of founding their own farmed animal sanctuary (we here at The Open Sanctuary Project included! Sanctuary Resources Microsanctuary Resource Center Farm Sanctuary - How to start a farm animal sanctuary Best Friends Animal SanctuarySanctuary - How to start … Rooster Haus Rescue . Currently the girls have a large wooden coop that has seen better days and I am trying to raise enough money to buy them a large, plastic coop and run that is safer, cleaner and more comfortable for them too. Effective fundraising is a complicated, time-consuming job in itself, and many sanctuaries would do well to ultimately plan on hiring a Development Director to keep a sanctuary’s financial resources on a path to long term sustainability. You may even have longtime residents, the best of friends, who decide one day that they cannot stand one another. You must consider that the residents that you commit to are individuals, which has numerous implications. She and her husband are in the process of starting a microsanctuary for farm animals in Orange County, NY. Enter either your organization’s name or your name and email below to download a free brochure PDF that you can have printed out for visitors to your organization who are interested in learning more about what it takes to start an animal sanctuary. Starting an animal sanctuary means that everyone you commit to depends on you for their whole life, including a peaceful end-of-life. Fortunately, some sanctuaries are able to sometimes step up to assist in rehoming these residents to other sanctuaries or microsanctuaries, but this can be highly taxing on organizations that are already dealing with limited funding and stretched capacities. This includes caring for animals typically seen as ‘farm animals’; some of us even align with the official Microsanctuary Movement. Hi, my name is Jonathan. Working with residents, especially those who have poor health, can be frequently exhausting, frustrating, and heartbreaking. What would you do if there were a, Although there are many farmed animal sanctuaries in the world, there is no singular guide to follow for starting and managing a sanctuary (though The Open Sanctuary Project contains many resources to help sanctuaries along the way!). Many of us were in the same boat–unfamiliar with farmed animals and unable to do an internship at a farm sanctuary… The experience can help you understand the nature of the work and challenges that happen every week at a sanctuary, and provide valuable insider perspective on policies and decisions to consider adopting if you decide to move forward with the creation of your own sanctuary. Check out our resource about the ADA here, Check out our resource about succession planning here, Check out our resource about finding appropriate veterinary care here, splitting herds or having separate pastures, Check out our resource about determining a capacity for responsible care here, Check out our resource about creating effective contingency policies here, check out our introductory resource guide here, Starting A Nonprofit Organization For Animal Sanctuaries In The United States, All About Social Media For Your Animal Sanctuary, Best Practices For Photo & Video Creation & Sharing At Your Animal Sanctuary, Financial Measures For Animal Sanctuaries In The United States Impacted By The COVID-19 Outbreak (As Of April 7, 2020), More Questions And Answers About COVID-19 For Animal Sanctuaries (As Of March 20, 2020). Prior to taking any concrete actions, you should plan for an animal sanctuary as if it were a business- except animal sanctuaries do not generate profit! Before making the permanent move to Ireland, an American Bulldog, Floss, became our first […] Between daily resident care, maintenance, public outreach for support, managing volunteers, administrative duties, and legally-required accounting, there is simply too much to get done in the course of a day for a Founder to accomplish alone without significantly compromising some aspect of organization management or resident quality of life. The big reason being, like anything else in life, you don’t know the amount of work and if it’s for you, till you do it. She have 10 hens and one rooster. (Because microsanctuary owners don’t eat the birds or eggs, Van Kleeck uses the word “farm” in air quotes.) It’s not uncommon for even smaller sanctuaries to have budgets that add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. Are you ready to start a Microsanctuary? The animals inspire me every day to keep on fighting the good fight and to be the best version of myself. She is on the Board of Directors of The Microsanctuary Resource Center. Unless you can self-fund the sanctuary in perpetuity (which would require a realistic look at the significant annual and unexpected expenses before that commitment), you’ll need a. It’s highly unlikely for a sanctuary to run effectively and for many years with a sizable resident population without bringing on additional staff members. The animals inspire me every day to keep on fighting the good fight and to be the best version of myself. The Open Sanctuary Project has a specific set of guidelines of what we believe defines an animal sanctuary. Flash flooding? Let's start a "microsanctuary" revolution! Welcome to Our Microsanctuary “A microsanctuary starts from the premise that our space and our resources, no matter how limited, often are still sufficient for us to provide sanctuary to individual animals in order to prevent them from ever again being used as commodities.” It’s unacceptable to commit to animals that you aren’t prepared to properly take care of. Before they arrived at the microsanctuary, they were living with a breeder who was raising more than 100 birds in their backyard. Each species has their own needs with regards to appropriate living spaces, nutrition, socialization, and healthcare that must be considered prior to taking them on. For me personally, starting the microsanctuary has played a key role in strengthening my conviction as an activist. What is a microsanctuary, and why did you feel like this was an important concept to give a name to? Enter either your organization’s name or your name and email below to download a free brochure PDF that you can have printed out for visitors to your organization who are interested in learning more about what it takes to start an animal sanctuary. NEXT GRANT DEADLINE: 1 March 2020 ***Announcing our new Special Projects Fund! I won't get into the problems with zoos; that is a topic for another time. People who work with animals face disproportionately high rates of grief, depression, All of the personal challenges that a Founder faces are also faced by staff and volunteers to some extent, which can be a source of burnout and high turnover at a sanctuary. Oftentimes, the daily operations of a sanctuary and the challenges they face are not known to the public, so merely visiting a sanctuary or two does not provide the full picture of the rigorous work that sanctuaries must do day-in and day-out. They must be able to have the strength to recognize that self-care is not a weakness or retreat, but a key factor in being able to keep doing the work in the long run. Not only does a Founder need to be able to take care of the animals and themselves, but, Founding an animal sanctuary, regardless of whether you, Where will your funding come from? Because backyard breeding operations of that size are illegal, authorities were forcing the breeder to get rid of the chickens, which meant killing them. It can be a literal all-day affair at some sanctuaries to do the daily rounds of making sure animals are being responsibly cared for, especially if there isn’t regular volunteer support or caregivers on staff. We are delighted to announce the next recipient of The Thinking Vegan’s grants for animal activism: The Microsanctuary Movement, and co-organizers Justin and Rosemary Van Kleeck. A potential Founder must be resilient and willing to step back and take care of themselves when necessary. There are many farmed animal sanctuaries around the world, and most likely one is not too far from you! Zee is the Executive Editor of The Open Sanctuary Project. Vegan Olympic cyclist and former fashion model Dotsie Bausch announced plans to open a “microsanctuary”—a small-scale sanctuary—for farmed animals in her home state of Kentucky by spring 2017. A rescued chicken living happily in a neighborhood might touch many more hearts than one dozens of miles from a community! The best way to learn the actual work load is volunteering or doing an internship at a farm animal sanctuary. Failing to provide quality management and care to staff has been known to result in high turnover and reduced staff effectiveness in sanctuary positions. Well, the future came early and I've since welcomed other animals that needed a safe place, and expect more as I slowly expand. We know it’s a long conversation, so below you can find where we talk about various topics covered more in depth in the written resource! We also talk about what it was like to start the Colorado chapter, and how the microsanctuary movement fits into the work of open rescue. Even if you aren’t planning on leaving for many years (or if you aren’t planning on formally incorporating as a nonprofit organization), having a succession plan is critical in case a Founder is suddenly no longer able to continue doing their job for whatever reason. Many of us were in the same boat–unfamiliar with farmed animals and unable to do an internship at a farm sanctuary… Committing to caring for these residents means committing to uncertainty, the unexpected, oftentimes revolutionary veterinary treatments, and unfortunately, typically a much higher cost of lifetime compassionate care. Justin Van Kleeck has a Ph.D. in English and is a freelance writer, educator, and community organizer. Ashlee Cartwright. 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