Mark Hawthorne writes: Animal Place, an education center and sanctuary for farmed animals, is pleased to announce that in addition to our new location in Grass Valley, we will retain our current property in Vacaville, California. Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous supporter, Animal Place will keep our 60-acre location, transforming it into Rescue Ranch, which will serve as an innovative adoption and placement facility for farmed animals. Animals who arrive at Rescue Ranch will be quarantined, given veterinary care, rehabilitated and then placed in pre-approved homes.

The Ranch will be dedicated to finding loving homes for easily adoptable animals, such as chickens, sheep, and goats, though we will also be able to place pigs and cows under the right circumstances. With our history of successfully re-homing rescued “battery” hens, however, and with more and more people enjoying them as companion animals, we will likely focus our efforts on chickens. “Backyard chicken flocks are becoming increasingly popular,” says Animal Place Executive Director Kim Sturla. “We previously have rescued and placed thousands of hens who were retired from the egg industry. Instead of these birds being sent to slaughter, as they usually are, our hope is that many will come to Animal Place’s Rescue Ranch and then placed in new, loving homes.”

We hope to establish a network with farms, shelters and other rescue groups to maximize the options for the thousands of farmed animals who are abused, neglected and abandoned nationwide while we promote the idea that farmed animals can be companion animals. In addition, we will revive our dog-rescue program.

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