Born at Farm Sanctuary, Samson lamb will never know the suffering his mother experienced before her rescue. In September 2023, authorities found 200 animals suffering from extreme neglect on a farm in Wake County, North Carolina. Some were starving; for others, help had come too late. 

Frannie was among the survivors.

Collaborating with other organizations, we worked quickly to save as many animals as possible, taking in 10 sheep at our Watkins Glen, New York sanctuary.  

Finally safe, Frannie’s flockmate Nirva sheep gave birth overnight to Ashley lamb — and 10 became 11. Out of heartbreaking tragedy came joy as our delighted caregivers arrived in the morning to find mom and lamb nestled together.

And we soon found that Frannie, too, was among more sheep who were pregnant. Another lamb would be joining our sanctuary family!

Samson lamb is sweet and gentle; from day one, he has loved to be by Frannie’s side. He runs and jumps, free to be his playful self at Farm Sanctuary. We lovingly call this little one by his nickname: Sams!

As for Sams’ mom, despite all that she has experienced, Frannie is thriving and settling into her life of sanctuary. 

We are inspired daily by the resilience shown by the animals we rescue at Farm Sanctuary.

Multiple sheep rescued from the cruelty case in North Carolina were pregnant at the time. We have more babies on the way! Follow along to stay up to date with their sanctuary journey.

As many as two million sheep and lambs are killed for food in the U.S. each year, a staggering reality. Yet, the remarkable strength of individuals like Frannie emboldens us as we continue to fight the harms of animal agriculture.

Each day, there are reasons for hope. One look into the eyes of this sweet little one is all the reminder we need.