Animal sanctuary

Farm Sanctuary's shelter in upstate New York provides a home to hundreds of rescued goats, sheep, cows, pigs, poultry, rabbits, and other farm animals.

An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and be protected for the rest of their lives.[1] Unlike animal shelters, sanctuaries do not seek to place animals with individuals or groups, instead maintaining each animal until its natural death. However, they can offer rehoming services. In some cases, an establishment may have characteristics of both a sanctuary and a shelter; for instance, some animals may be in residence temporarily until a good home is found and others may be permanent residents. The mission of sanctuaries is generally to be safe havens, where the animals receive the best care that the sanctuaries can provide. Animals are not bought, sold, or traded, nor are they used for animal testing. The resident animals are given the opportunity to behave as natural as possible in a protective environment.[1]

Overview

What distinguishes a sanctuary from other institutions is the philosophy that the residents come first. In a sanctuary, every action is scrutinized for any trace of human benefit at the expense of non-human residents. Sanctuaries act on behalf of the animals, and the caregivers work under the notion that all animals in the sanctuary, human and non-human, are of equal importance.

A properly-run sanctuary is not open to the public in the sense of a zoo; that is, the public should not be allowed unescorted access to any part of the facility. A legitimate sanctuary avoids activity that would place the animals in an unduly stressful situation.[2]

One of the most important missions of sanctuaries, beyond caring for the animals, is educating the public. The ultimate goal of many sanctuaries is to change the way that humans think of, and treat, non-human animals.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Tom Regan (2006). Jaulas Vacías. El Desafío de los Derechos de los Animales (in Spanish). Barcelona: Fundación Altarriba. p. 111. ISBN 978-84-611-0672-1.
  2. ↑ "How To Find A Real Sanctuary - Horizon Guides". horizontravelpress.com. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.