As a “bummer lamb,” Otto couldn’t nurse from his mom; in fact, he couldn’t even open his mouth on his own.

Rita was just a few months old when an accident claimed part of her foot—and very nearly, her life.

In mid-March, we were alerted to a horrific cruelty case on a sheep dairy farm in Kings County, CA.

We couldn’t have asked for a better time to welcome Forrest into the Farm Sanctuary family.

What should have been a happy occasion quickly grew traumatic: Holly, a sheep pregnant with twins, lost her first lamb shortly after giving birth.

Farm Sanctuary's lifesaving work officially began on April 17, 1986. From the beginning, President and Co-founder Gene Baur has worked tirelessly to shift the dynamic of our relationships with farm animals and has encouraged countless individuals to make more compassionate choices. Please join us in revisiting this classic interview from Farm Sanctuary's 30th anniversary. Here, Gene reflects on what the past 30 years have meant to him, and how Farm Sanctuary has evolved into the effective proponent of change it is today.

Vector was born with a severe cross beak (her beak overlaps like scissors, instead of aligning at the tips). This makes it hard for her to eat solid foods; she just can’t get a grip due to the unnatural angle. Through experience treating similar cases, we felt that Vector could thrive.

Dogs are “man’s best friend.” Cats rule our homes—and the Internet. So where do turkeys fit into our lives? Some might argue, “on a plate.” In 2019, the United States slaughtered and processed nearly 230 million turkeys as food. Roughly 20 percent—46 million—were killed just for Thanksgiving, a.k.a. “Turkey Day.” It’s a fate we would never subject to our companion animals. But Thor, Lady Sif, Freyja, Brunnhilde, and Sheila turkeys were companions. Their former owner, a small hobby farmer, refused to let any harm befall them—even though most other farmers would raise them for meat.

Hans was a young goat, wandering the streets on his own—likely after escaping slaughter. Like the billions of farm animals killed for food each year, Hans did not want to die. Something had lit the fire in his belly, causing him to flee from the life he knew. Maybe he found loved ones on the chopping block. Maybe something felt off and he took that as a sign to bolt. He was worlds away from the comforts of a warm, clean barn and protection from his herd. But he was alive.

After years of suffering for dairy, Shirley goat got a glimpse of sanctuary.