Hi John, 

This is a photo of me and Amy, minutes after I gave her some deworming medication and a pedicure. But she wasn’t always so lucky. I found Amy inside a factory farm, where she competed daily for food and water with thousands of other hens. Now Amy lives at a microsanctuary, spending her days in a backyard with a few other hens, cared for like a cat or dog. 

Share our new video on Facebook or Instagram to encourage more people to adopt rescued animals

The place where Amy came from still has thousands of hens who need help. We saw hens whose eyes were swollen shut from disease and who could barely walk. Here are 5 ways that adopting rescued animals helps these hens and the animal rights movement:

1. More homes allow us to rescue more animals from abuse. On every rescue, there are always animals we can’t take with us because there just aren’t enough homes.
2. Caring for rescued animals normalizes compassion towards farmed animals. Most people will never know how soft a chicken’s feathers are, or how much some pigs love belly rubs. Microsanctuaries provide this opportunity for your friends and family.
3. Microsanctuaries show that the animal rights movement has a role for everyone. Many of us can’t risk arrest, but may have a backyard and the means to provide a home. 
4. Our movement builds capacity and gains knowledge. Most of what we know about farmed animal health comes from the industry. Learning how to care for animals living far past their “productive” years will require observing them carefully.
5. Rescued animals gain visibility and touch more lives. Through social media and gatherings at microsanctuaries, rescued animals provide the inspiration and healing we need to continue fighting for animals. Interacting with animals who escaped a system that slaughters billions of animals each year can be a transformative experience. 

If you’d like to learn more about starting your own microsanctuary, see our resources here. 

Christina