Farm Sanctuary

So, I'm very excited about this post (it will be long!). I've been wanting to go to the Farm Sanctuary for quite a while and it just has never seemed to pan out. We had decided to try and go on the weekend after the Worldfest, but while we were there we heard Gene Baur speak. He's the co-founder and president of Farm Sanctuary. After his piece on veganism he mentioned that "Hug a Farm Animal" was coming up in their schedule of events. We decided to go right then and there. :) That meant that instead of going the following weekend like we planned, we waited an extra week to go. Torture!

The sanctuary here in Southern California is in Acton. Northeast of downtown and about an hour out. I wanted to take the roundabout way and go through Angeles National Forest, which added a half hour to our drive, but was totally worth it. Instead of the busy highway, we were able to enjoy some peace on a winding, mountain highway. Much better.

It was amazing to me how close Angeles forest is to the city and how peaceful and gorgeous it was. There was practically no one on the road and we were able to enjoy the scene and tranquility of the forest highway. I definitely want to head out there more often. It's a great feeling getting out of the bowels of Los Angeles as often as possible, especially when going into amazing natural California scenery.

Our ride was quiet until we noticed there was a helicopter circling above the highway past a bend. We came across a motorcycle who had slid off his bike (I think) and apparently got pretty banged up. We didn't actually see what happened and the police were already there, but we were parked right in front of them as they got him on the stretcher. It was really interesting to watch them at work (looked really boring actually). The one really cool part was that they were lifting the guy out, so the helicopter landed on the highway at a bend. I got Dan to take some pictures of that part. I hope that guy is okay.

After about a half hour of waiting, I started to get nervous that we were going to be late for the event at the sanctuary, but amazingly they let us go through with just enough time to get to there. I felt a bit guilty that I was feeling rushed, but after a half hour on a day I'd been looking forward to for months is pretty good, right?

At this point I couldn't be more excited! I know the sanctuary up in Northern California is really big, this one was much smaller, but they still did a great job with the space available. Going to the one in Northern California is on my list of things to do. It's actually very close to Sierra Nevada Brewing in Chico. Thanksgiving weekend? *hint, hint*

Farm Sanctuary may not be what you're thinking. It's not Old McDonald's farm, but is in reality much closer to that than the 'real' farms of today. All the animals at the sanctuary were saved from factory farming. For instance, the cows they had there were supposed to be veal cows but were saved and brought to the sanctuary instead. I don't know the stories of all the animals there, but that much I do know. As Gene put it, these animals are the mascots of factory farming. They are there to give people the chance to meet these magnificent creatures. :)

We made our first stop at the goats. They had their own personal hill to wander around and most of them were munching away on the trees. They were so cute! They reminded me of Batman with their huge, full bellies. We then went down the hill and inside to meet the sheep. I felt so bad for them. They look really scared with all the people around, so I didn't want to linger too long. They feel amazing though. I just wanted to sit with them and pet them for a while but I knew they were skittish from the overwhelming experience.

Usually, they do Sunday tours with far less people. I think having a large group around them, talking, petting them, etc. is unnerving. I'd know, social anxiety is nothing new for me. But of course I couldn't resist getting in a little hello. I talked to a sheep that was enjoying a salt lick and didn't seem to mind the attention.

After we watched the goats and talked to the sheep, we moved on to the cows. These guys were HUGE! Unnaturally huge. From afar they look like regular cows, but when we got up close and petting them I was intimidated. I felt like I was standing next to a hippo more than a cow. I asked one of the volunteers if cows normally get that large and that's when she told me they were raised as veal. They are pumped with so much growth hormones and antibiotics to make them grow fast (for quick slaughter) that they get these massive cows on the rare occasion they actually get the chance to grow up. She told me that sometimes they get so large, their legs can't even hold them up anymore and they have to euthanize them. Terribly sad. These guys seemed pretty chill though. They didn't act bothered by the attention, and I think they actually were enjoying the scratches and conversations.

We moved on to the pigs and oh my goodness! So cute!! They were all sleeping inside their hut, because by this point it was at least 100 degrees outside. Apparently, they were walking around outside earlier, and I'm super bummed we missed it. Can you imagine seeing these huge guys running around in the mud?

Anyway, they were also massive. I won't get all detailed like with the cows, but I think the volunteer said they should be about 2/3 the size if they were normal pigs. What amazed me about them was their hair. I had no idea that it was so coarse. It was more like petting a porcupine than anything else. Or maybe Dan's face a day after he shaved. Ha, sorry honey, but you're a bit piggish at times. :P

Last but not least, we visited the chickens! It was actually roosters, chickens, and geese. No turkey though, they were kept elsewhere, too big and probably too aggro. We watched them for a while and eventually we found one that didn't seem to mind if we picked him up. I was extremely uncomfortable doing so since I've never held a chicken before. Dan got him first and I was happy just petting him in Dan's arms, but of course he handed the little dude over to me and I was thrilled he did. My husband rocks.

It was rather awkward since I had no idea how to do it. But once I did it was magical. They are so soft. I couldn't believe it. They were kept in their fenced off area for the event, but I heard one of the volunteers saying that on normal days they are able to wander around the courtyard which would be fun to see.

After we finished hanging out with the chickens we settled down to hear Gene speak. They also had a guest speaker, Kathy Freston who wrote The Veganist along with some other vegan friendly books. We have already heard Gene speak, and he generally said the same thing. Basically, veganism is becoming more mainstream and much easier to accomplish in pubic and private life.

Kathy spoke mostly about her new book The Lean. Doesn't sound like a great book for a vegan to read, but maybe to give to friends/family who are interested in veganism. The whole premise of her book is instead of jumping into something so foreign and life changing, 'lean' toward your goal. This way you can slowly learn your way. I like the idea, but it's too late for me!! :]


After they spoke we all lined up for some amazing food from different vendors. We only ate from one restaurant because we had planned to go to Golden Road afterward. It was delicious and of course I refused to leave before we got some ice cream (chocolate salted caramel). omnom. Sadly, I didn't get a picture of it because it was all in my belly pretty much instantly. So instead, here's an adorable picture of a goat watching me eat.

Once our bellies were filled we hit the road home. Well, almost. I guess we hit the road to our second LA home. Like I said, we stopped at Golden Road.

On our way to the car I noticed a strange cloud and took some shots of it. I figured it had to be a fire based on the dark colouring of the bottom and the mushrooming at the top. I did some digging and discovered it was a fire, in fact it was the fire that was ravaging Los Angeles at the time. It's too bad that the sky in LA hasn't looked more beautiful to me than when there was a fire raging. :|

Going to Golden Road was great. By the time we got there it was still warm out and they recently opened a bar outside so we were able to enjoy the amazing weather. Very awesome.

I have a feeling we will be going back to the sanctuary again, soon. I really want to go for a Sunday tour to have another chance to meet the animals in hopes I'll be more comfortable around them and to get to hear their individual stories. I think we will wait till fall though. Not sure how those guys manage during the summer. Props.

I am also very excited because we are planning to adopt an animal. Basically we will be sponsoring an animal for a year, helping to feed and care for them. We then get the privilege of meeting them and having another excuse to go out to the sanctuary.

Let me know if you're interested in joining us next time we go! It is a great experience to meet these awesome animals, get out of the city, and cruise through the forest. We would love the company. Hell, we might even buy you a beer.