Floods, privacy issues, star picket fencing and construction. The Palmview location may have provided original safety for the animals, but it had a host of ongoing risks and concerns. The dream was always to find a permanent safe haven for them to live out the rest of their lives in bliss, and we finally managed to find it!
Last month the animals undertook a big move, a mammoth of a task that had chickens overtaking volunteers’ cars, the goats sheep and horses in the horse float, and most of the cows venturing up the coast in a giant cattle truck. After 26 trips back and forth with the trucks and trailers, thousands of km's travelled, we made it to our forever home, and we are here to stay!
This month, we set to work making the sanctuary our home. Now that the animals were here to stay, we could focus on the property itself.
We have fixed and built fences, ripped away old and rusted wire, and dreamed big dreams of how the place would one day be. We started a huge overhaul of the chicken coop, not an easy job with big tree roots running long and deep throughout, but bit by bit it is becoming a beautiful home for our beautiful birds.
Every day is filled with chipping away at one project or another, all the while still feeding our animals, scooping poop, and dealing with all of the normal sanctuary adventures. All of the animals have been much happier and more at peace since arriving.
Everyone has at least double the space they had before, with some paddocks being more than quadruple the original sizes!
The broilers have taken ownership of the front yard, wandering wherever they like all day long. The big moos and horses roam about in a 15 acre paddock, complete with trees and dams. The medium moos and sheep and goats hang out in the side 5 acre paddock. The hens, roosters and turkeys dust bath and peck around their huge coop.
The animals really are living their best lives, benefiting greatly from the natural stimulation and exercise that comes with large grassy areas. There is an atmosphere of peace emanating over the whole property, a feeling that can only be achieved when the residents are relaxed and able to truly be themselves.
There may be grass, there may be water, but shelters are sorely lacking. When it rains, we feel terribly sorry and helpless for the animals out in the paddocks.
The sheep and goats have a tiny shelter, and the big moos and horses have to rely on the trees. The chickens can only all cram themselves into their night coop in order to escape the rain.
And then there is the fencing...The fencing on the property is old and not done with longevity and strength in mind. Our "naughty goats" have escaped multiple times since arriving, as well as destroyed 4 entire banana trees and huge swathes of bamboo. They are finally safe in a temporary enclosure, but we want them to be feel the freedom that the rest of the animals feel, out in the large paddocks enjoying their best goat lives.
You can see how much they love it out there when we take them for walks! But currently there is no possible way to let them live out in a large space as the existing fencing cannot keep them safe.
We must work hard to make this safe haven as truly safe as it can be. We have so many hopes and dreams for this new home of ours.
We have started receiving the building materials for our first fencing overhaul. We cannot wait to receive the rest of the materials and begin the work! We know it will be hard, but it will be so worth it to know our animals are safe and happy. We will be able to continue our mission, and help so many more animals in the future.
Once we have finished our first fencing projects, we will begin building shelters for the animals. We have so much work to do on the property to fully bring it to its potential, but we know that with the support of this incredibly community we will see it happen. We cannot wait for the future of the sanctuary, and to see ours and the animals dreams come true.
Please consider helping us help our animals flourish! We are still in need of donations to purchase building materials for our fencing and shelter needs.
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