Expert: Robin Flynn - 6/5/2008

Question
The reason I started thinking about this is because I am planning a trip for my family to visit Farm Sanctuary this autumn.  My daughter will be almost 2 years old, and I am excited that her first experience with animals (outside our home) will be at this wonderful establishment.  

Naturally, I started thinking about other rescue organizations that we could visit.  Not zoos, but actual rescue sanctuaries.  

I do NOT support zoos, circuses, etc in any way, shape, or form.  One of the many values I hope to instill in my daughter is that it is unacceptable to use animals for any sort of entertainment.  

Anyway, what I would like to know is: if we choose to visit an exotic sanctuary - or any sanctuary, for that matter - as long as it is calling itself a 'sanctuary' can I rest assured that the animals are being put first, or should I still be wary that there may be other motives, such as entertainment, etc?  And if so, what criteria should I use to make this determination?

Sorry for the long question, I look forward to your response.

Answer
Hi
What a great Parent!! I’m thrilled to hear you are teaching your daughter to respect animals and that they should not be used and abused by humans.  If more people understood that animals feel emotions and pain very similarly to us we would really could make an impact on ending animal cruelty.  There are great sanctuaries and not so great sanctuaries. Some people use the term sanctuary to draw people in when in fact they don’t treat their animals well. They profit from them or in some instances they themselves have mental problems like hoarding. I wish there was a website where you could track these sanctuaries but their really isn't one that I am aware of.

However there is www.charitynavigator.org  This website will at least give you some insight into how these non–profits spend their money.

I can tell you that I am familiar with a couple of sanctuaries. I know Farm Sanctuary is a reputable organization and I would highly recommend visiting and supporting them. I have been there for the thanksgiving feast and I had a great time. It truly changed my life to be up and personal with these beautiful animals.

My personal favorite sanctuary is Woodstock Farm Sanctuary in upstate NY. http://www.woodstockfas.org I know the owner Jenny Brown and truly I have never seen a human work harder for animals. She is amazing and her sanctuary is absolutely beautiful. The NY Times just wrote an article about her. You can find it here, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/nyregion/01goat.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=sl...  She is currently building a hospital for injured animals.

I mentioned this place because it is a few hours from Farm Sanctuary in New York. I’m not sure if you were referring to the FS in New York or the California location. If you live closer to CA, I would also recommend Animal Acres, http://www.animalacres.org . I have never been there but I have heard good things about it.

Two other Great sanctuaries are The Elephant sanctuary, http://www.tappedintoelephants.com and BestFriends.org, definitely worth checking out.

I wish you luck and joy in your journey's and if you have any additional questions I’m happy to answer them for you.

For the Animals,
Robin