A Visit to Animal Acres

Two years ago, I became vegetarian. Although I had debated it for years prior to that one day in January that I decided to let go of meat and not look back, the gist of came down to one singular event: I watched a powerful documentary called “Earthlings.” For those who haven’t seen it, it’s not strictly about the meat industry, it’s about how animals are used and abused in all sectors of human life, from factory farms, to the puppy mill industry, to entertainment and beyond. It’s truly an eye opening film that I would recommend to anyone. My path to vegetarianism coincided with interest in volunteer work which finally bubbled up to the surface this year. That’s why I decided to make the 40-mile trek down to Acton, Calif. this past Sunday to volunteer at Animal Acres, a farm animal sanctuary and compassionate living center.

Those who work and run the sanctuary are amazing, they’re not only gracious hosts, but they are great guides with a wealth of information about the farming industry and the animals they take care of, all of which they can identify by name. Regina, one of the cows that isn’t pictured was my favorite, probably because of the intensity of her history. Her mom gave birth to her as she was in line to be slaughtered. Another cow, Bruno, was in the back of a transportation truck ready to be taken to a veal slaughter facility when a faulty lock caused him and the other calves to come tumbling out onto the highway. He was the only one who survived. When you hear these stories and then see how gentle and curious these animals are, no matter how large they grow, it becomes harder and harder to look at that plastic wrapped piece of steak or bacon as just a piece of meat.

If you’re wondering what the volunteer activities consist of, be prepared to don gloves and carry around a huge rake, for shoveling manure out of the pens of course. I am sure that at first thought, that sounds like the most unappealing volunteer work you could do, but believe me when I say that it’s actually fun and not as bad as you would imagine. After a while, you feel like you’re on a mission from God to shovel up every last bit of shit you can find. But that’s only one end of the spectrum - we also got to garden, clean out stalls and interact so closely with the animals.

This is the area where all the birds live - chicken, geese, turkeys. The quote from Gandhi says “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” There are quotes down the stalls from George Bernard Shaw as well as Albert Einstein.

This is Rose the Goat.

I don’t remember which pig is which in the photos above, but they were probably my favorite part of the entire experience. They have so much personality that you would never expect and the way they feel is incredible, with their short little course hair and soft ears. It is not easily determined from these photos, but the pigs are massive. When I say massive, I mean 800 lbs massive, because they have been genetically altered to be huge for the pork industry, and since those hormones are in their genes, they pass it along to their piglets. Because of their super size, they are prone to health problems and die sooner.

This horse above was rescued from a backyard slaughterhouse operation and is new to the sanctuary.

All in all, it was such a rewarding experience. I had an amazing time and I recommend it to anyone, vegetarian or not to visit these amazing animals and hear their back stories.