Current Press Releases

Farm Sanctuary Celebrates Independence Day with
Fourth of July Pignic

Annual Event Gives Guests an Opportunity to Celebrate Freedom with Rescued Farm Animals

Watkins Glen, NY and Orland, CA - June 27, 2006 - On Tuesday, July 4, Farm Sanctuary, the nation's leading farm animal protection organization, will hold its annual Fourth of July Pignic celebration. There will be tours of the 175-acre New York Shelter and 300-acre Orland Shelter, and free veggie hot dogs will be available for sampling. The entire event is free and open to the public.

From 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., on the hour, every hour, tours will leave from the educational centers at each of the shelters. On the tours, visitors will meet some of the close to 1200 animal ambassadors residing at Farm Sanctuary's New York and Orland Shelters. All of the animal residents have been rescued from abuse to live out the rest of their lives in peace amid the beautiful rolling hills of New York's Finger Lakes region and rural landscape in Northern California. Tour guests will visit cows, chickens, turkeys, goats, pigs, sheep, geese, ducks, and rabbits, and get the chance to rub a few bellies and scratch some grateful residents behind the ears!

Guests at our Orland Shelter are welcome to meet our newest additions to the Farm Sanctuary family, just in time for the Pignic! Farm Sanctuary recently welcomed six new piglets to the Shelter. Born from different litters and ranging in age from two to four months old, these fragile youngsters were used as teaching tools at a university veterinarian hospital, where they had "practice" hernia operations performed upon them. Fated to be sent to slaughter after they were of no use to the university, a brave and caring vet student stepped in and asked that their lives be spared. Thankfully, they are now at Farm Sanctuary where they spend their days rooting the earth, playing in mud and doing all the things that pigs love to do. (Click here for high resolution photos of these piglets)

The educational centers, which guests are welcome to peruse before or after tours, house informational displays, literature and videos on Farm Sanctuary's work to end farm animal suffering. The country gift shop, which will be open for business as well, is full of animal-friendly gifts from key chains, stuffed animals, books, and T-shirts to scrumptious snacks and drinks.

For more information about Farm Sanctuary and its Fourth of July Pignic, please call 607-583-2225 or visit http://www.farmsanctuary.org.

Directions to New York Shelter
From Watkins Glen, follow Route 409 West (up hill on Fourth Street) and turn right onto Route 23/28. Stay on Route 23 as it branches off to the left (one mile). Continue on Route 23 for eight miles and look for Farm Sanctuary signs along the way. Turn left onto Aikens Road, which is halfway down a large hill. Follow Aikens Road for two miles until you see the Farm Sanctuary Visitor Center, the second large red building on the left called "People Barn," at 3100 Aikens Road.

Directions to California Shelter
Farm Sanctuary's California facility is located just west of Orland, California. The farm is about an hour and a half north of Sacramento and half an hour west of Chico. From Interstate 5, take the Orland exit marked Chico/Rt. 32. Turn west off the freeway and you will be on Newville Rd. (aka Rd. 200), heading west. Travel approximately nine miles and you'll see Farm Sanctuary on the right at 19080 Newville Road. There is a large Farm Sanctuary entranceway sign at the road, and a cluster of brown barns. The "People Barn" will be the first building on the left as you come up the driveway.

About Farm Sanctuary
Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at www.farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.