February
1996
My
Visit to Farm Sanctuary
By Sabrina Hom
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Each month, Satya carries a column from the Humane Education Committee.
This month, a student at Stuyvesant High School writes of her trip to
Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, New York. Farm Sanctuary provides homes
for "downed" animals rescued from slaughterhouses and farms.
Last June I visited Farm Sanctuary with a group of New York City students
and teachers. This trip was co-sponsored by The Humane Education Committee.
It was both fun and an enlightening experience. Farm Sanctuary’s
animal residents put a face and a story behind every cheeseburger and
chicken wing. For me as an animal-rights activist and a vegan, the rescue
of suffering animals — often only a short while from impending
death in the stockyards — was an inspiration. Many of the rescued
animals had been brutally mistreated and were seriously ill. Whenever
I crave cheese or meat, I think of the creatures at the farm. Then I
eat fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains — all vegan foods like
those we ate at Farm Sanctuary.
Farm Sanctuary is huge — something like 200 acres — and
it’s beautiful. The education center is decorated with bales of
hay which are also used as places to sit. The area is rich in grassy
fields, trees and rolling hills. It’s like Central Park, only
safer. The non-human residents have lots of space and freedom. I’d
love to move into the loft in the pigsty.
Farm Sanctuary is completely non-exploitative and allows its residents
to live in peace and safety. Little hens and 1,000 pound hogs slept
side by side. The pigs ambled down to their swimming hole at whim. They
move slowly since they are "genetically engineered" to be
absurdly overgrown. The goats and sheep live together in a big shelter
that’s quite clean and pleasant smelling. The cows roam freely
throughout the 200 acres and it takes a while to find them. They all
love the human interns who claim to know everybody by name. This is
all in shocking contrast to the factory farms seen in educational videos
during our stay.
Farm Sanctuary offered a workshop on vegan cooking which was wonderful.
The high point of my trip to Farm Sanctuary was visiting Leo, a steer
who was rescued from a terrible life and impending death as a "veal
calf." Last year, Stuyvesant High School’s students for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (SETA), of which I am a member, adopted
Leo. At $40 a month, he was expensive, but Leo’s big! He’s
the second tallest "person" at Farm Sanctuary, which is especially
impressive since he started out cruelly confined and anemic as "beef
on the hoof." If you would like to help sponsor an animal, find
information on the annual summer trip and conference call Farm Sanctuary
East at 607-583-2225 or write to them at P.O. Box 150, Watkins Glen,
New York 14891.
Sabrina Hom is a student at Stuyvesant High School
in Manhattan and a member of Stuyvesant’s animal rights club,
Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The Humane Education
Committee, Inc. supports student contests, workshops, plant-based lunch
options, teacher training programs, and spay/neuter programs for pets
of families on public assistance. For additional information write to
HEC, PO Box 445 — Gracie Station, New York, NY 10028. Tel.: 212-410-3095.
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