Farm Sanctuary

At the center of the property lay a grisly butcher’s table, and a tub to drain the blood into from each slaughter. Chickens and ducks squawked in cages strewn about; dozens more darted through trash and broken fencing, or hid beneath floorboards to evade the chopping block. Elsewhere, fly-coated pigs lay in their own waste. They all scrounged on rotten fruit and sludge-filled water to survive.

This was not your typical slaughterhouse. Nestled into an unassuming residential neighborhood in Fort Myers, Florida, this illegal backyard butcher was hiding in plain sight. Customers came and went, and the stench of neglect, decay and slaughter filled the air.

On behalf of a compassionate neighbor, the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) won a court order to seize the animals. On April 22, Farm Sanctuary led five Florida-based Sanctuaries—Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary, Kindred Spirits Sanctuary, Peacefield, Shelter Farm Sanctuary, and Yesahcan Sanctuary, Inc.—to free these individuals and bring them to Sanctuary.

The team rescued 113 animals that day. Some have already passed from the ailments they sustained; others have a long road ahead of them. Collaborative work like this rescue helps us change the tide. Together, we can spare more individuals from harm and honor farm animals for the sentient beings they are.

Read the full story here.

“I wasn’t psychologically prepared for what we were going to see, from the sheer number of animals to the conditions ... It boggles my mind that animal cruelty really only applies to dogs and cats—and maybe horses. I just hope that in ten years from now, a lot of things have changed in the way that we treat animals in general.”

— Chris Amerman, Critter Creek

“We walked into the backyard and there was a small cooped area with probably 50 birds in it. Other birds were running everywhere, and there was a giant pig behind them.”

— Logan Vindett, Kindred Spirits

“We’re in this concrete block prison with stalls. There were gestation crates and machinery for removing hair from the animals. There’s troughs of rotting food and no water.”

— Jenni Presley, Shelter Farm Sanctuary

“Despite how difficult it was to see the animals living in these conditions, the Sanctuaries on the ground and Farm Sanctuary’s shelter team worked incredibly well together, demonstrating a beautiful spirit of collaboration and professionalism.”

— Martin Linney, Farm Sanctuary

We thank ALDF, Critter Creek, Kindred Spirits, and Peacefield for all their preparation and work; to Shelter Farm Sanctuary and Yesahcan for joining our endeavors at a moment’s notice; and to all the volunteers and local authorities who assisted with this rescue.

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