AUTUMN NEWSLETTER
15 SEPTEMBER 2016
PATRON: JOANNA LUMLEY
REGISTERED CHARITY: 702287
Did you know you can raise a free donation for us every time you shop online? Visit giveasyoulive.com for more details.
Dear Friends and Supporters What a year this is turning out to be. Since February we have taken in just over 8o animals, all very much in need of finding a final, safe, forever home. We've found spaces for sheep and lambs, pigs, calves, two Pygmy goats, horses and a pony, ducks, chickens, Alpacas, (a first for us), several more feral cats, and a dog. More of him later.
Looking for a different gift to give?
Adopt “Sunshine” or one of her friends for as little as £10 per year.
The lambs came in because they had been abandoned and left to die, or they were ill and weren't worth the expense of veterinary treatment. Many of the other animals came from private homes. Owners who had cared very much for their animals found that they were no longer able to continue to do that either due to ill health or an unavoidable change of circumstances. We try not to close our doors, some owners have told us that after trying all other avenues we were their last resort. If we couldn't take them, the only other unthinkable option would be to have them put down or take the risk of letting them go to somewhere that turned out to be unsuitable. Thanks to you, our supporters, we've been able to help so many of these animals, they're all deserving of the chance to live out their life in peace. www.thefarmanimalsamctuary.co.uk
01386 834500 Manor Orchard Farm, School Lane, Middle Littleton, Evesham, WR11 8LN jan@thefarmanimalsanctuary. co.uk
Page 1
AUTUMN NEWSLETTER
15 SEPTEMBER 2016
New Arrivals  Two of the feral cats were living behind a factory, living on their wits and very little else. The man who had taken it on himself to bring food for them was threatened with the sack unless he stopped, and then told that rat poison was going to be put down. Local cat rescue centres were contacted for help, non was available. We managed to make a space for them.
If anyone reading this can offer a home please get in touch. Homes will be visited and references required.
The Alpacas Four of our horses, Fred, Mary, Joel and Alice, all wondered what had landed in their field when ten furry creatures with spindly legs fluffy hairdos, big eyes and long eyelashes suddenly appeared. The horses were convinced they were alien beings. They were alpacas. The four big bold horses shook in their shoes, clung to each other in fear each time a small, friendly alpaca approached them then trotted off as one, to hide behind the willow trees. The haughty looks the alpacas gave them were very clear, "idiot creatures!"
I can't say they immediately settled in, they didn't. They ate, they used their litter tray, but stayed hidden. One morning a different noise was heard coming from their little bolt hole, a low growl, then a squeak. We had kittens! Mum, who is now a very sleek little black cat, and dad, a handsome striped ginger boy have now been spayed and neutered. While they were away being seen to, we were able to examine the four kittens, one stripey black, two silver tabbies and one grey. They will all be neutered in the next few weeks and be ready to go to private homes where they can have all the love and care that mum and dad never had.
It was then the turn of the alpacas when they first spotted a pig. They stood at the fence gazing across at George the boar, who was snoring away in his wallow. When George woke from his slumber he emerged from his mud bath like the creature from the deep.
www.thefarmanimalsamctuary.co.uk
Page 2
AUTUMN NEWSLETTER The alpacas scattered like an exploding cushion, uttering unique alpaca alarm cries as they spread out into the far corners of the field. George found this very exciting, he did the pig version of a gallop up and down his fence, mud flying everywhere. This was too much for the horses, first honking alpacas, then a grunting, racing pig wearing a facepack. Group anxiety set in, even a leaf blowing in the wind set them off snorting and blowing. It became in their best interest to move them to another paddock where their only neighbours were sheep and cattle, calm was restored once more.
Shoveler Our small herd of cattle were added to a few weeks ago when a young bull calf was delivered to us. He was named Shoveler by his farmer/ owner because he was born with a malformed
Simon and Freedom Two more very lucky little animals who have joined us are lambs Simon and Freedom. Simon is blind and brain damaged, he's a happy, confident little chap, he enjoys going out into the paddock with the other lambs. He loves his bottle, he loves having a head scratch. The only thing he can't do is move backwards which isn't much of a disadvantage for sheep unless they're backing up to launch an attack. Simon seems to be a placid chap, so not having a reverse gear shouldn't hold him back.
15 SEPTEMBER 2016 jaw and no social graces. (The calf, not the owner). He seems to take pleasure in walking into you and smacking you with his big bony head, he doesn't eat in the conventional manner, he shovels his food in. Unfortunately half of it falls out again so it takes him three times as long to eat his rations and would take three times or more as long for him to grow to slaughter weight. It wasn't a viable proposition to keep him, he was too old for veal and too costly to keep as a pet, rather than shoot him and put him in the freezer he was given the chance to enjoy his life with us, a very lucky young bullock.
With encouragement she began to stand to drink her bottle, then one day she managed with help to run out to the paddock with the other lambs, albeit a bit of a lopsided shuffle, and more recently she was so eager to get back in at teatime she got herself up and ran in by herself, even jumping up the step into the barn. She's a very determined little soul, with more help and treatment we're looking forward to seeing her becoming a totally able bodied little menace.
Freedom was born on a local farm. Right from birth she was unable to walk, her back legs were too weak to support her, her way of moving around was to pull herself around on her bottom using her front legs. Freedom is a shiny black faced, bright eyed, feisty little being, very bossy, wants everybody else's bottle when she's finished her own, won't be pushed around. www.thefarmanimalsamctuary.co.uk
Page 3
AUTUMN NEWSLETTER
15 SEPTEMBER 2016
Open Day Success! Our recent Open Day on September 4th was a great success. The weather was good, we had a very good crowd and a lovely atmosphere, and raised just over £3000! So a huge thank you to all of you who helped, contributed, and took part. We used the occasion to launch our Big Barn Appeal, details are enclosed. For the comfort and welfare of our growing number of elderly sheep, like little Tilly, old boys Herbie and Howard, a new barn is essential sooner rather than later. We’re grateful for all donations, large or small, and the sheep, present and future will be forever grateful - thank you.
Joanna Lumley Auction Also at the Open Day we launched our Silent Auction. Joanna Lumley, our amazing friend and patron has donated several signed items, publicity photos from the absolutely fabulous Absolutely Fabulous film, a signed script and an amazing pair of men's Y fronts signed by Joanna, Jennifer Saunders, Emma Bunton and Jamie Theakston. As an added attraction Joanna has added her lipstick print somewhere on the pants? If you want to know where, bid for them. They have to be a very valuable collectors item, so get moving - write your bid on a plain piece of paper with your details and the item(s) you wish to bid for and post back to us. DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY! We will open all the envelopes on December 14th - a lovely, unique Christmas presents for someone!!!!! PS. These items will also be put up for auction on a special Online celebrity site so there will be fierce competition, don't waste this one off opportunity!!!!!!!!!! www.thefarmanimalsamctuary.co.uk
Page 4
AUTUMN NEWSLETTER
15 SEPTEMBER 2016
The Dogs As you'll already have read, we lost The Small Dog earlier in the year, she was 19. She left behind a huge empty space. After a while it was decided that the space needed something in it, in the shape of Lewis. He is a huge, (60kg) French Mastiff who needed a new home very urgently. Lewis is boisterous, selectively deaf, he thinks the fridge/freezer is for weeing on, he's intent on terrorising the neighbourhood which he's doing very successfully, and he's become an expert at demolishing fences. He's chased cats, chickens, sheep and anyone foolish enough to cross the public footpath running through the farm. When he's asleep he's lovely, so we're committed to trying to change his behaviour before he causes any serious damage to persons or property.
Ruby & Rose  And finally, sadness doesn't describe how we have all felt at the loss of our two rescued French Mastiff girls, Rose and Ruby, who died within a few days of each other in August. Both in their early teens, they were as different as chalk and cheese. When we had her Rose was shy, didn't make eye contact, showed no interest in anything going on around her, the result of being bought as a young dog for breeding purposes and put into a kennel and run in isolation. With us she grew into a contented, amiable, smiley dog who loved nothing better than curling up in a half barrel plant tub, standing neck deep in our brook, and jumping up and down in puddles. She greeted everyone with a smile before going into default mode, which was snoozing.
feeding time she would threaten with a low growl, not surprising, she had been starved for weeks and had scavenged the streets to find scraps to try to keep herself and her puppies alive. She became a loving, affectionate, playful, loyal dog who would have given her life to protect her extended family, everyone she met was her friend. Both dogs died peacefully in their beds, we were grateful we were with them both. 
Ruby came from the Birmingham Dogs home where she had been taken as a stray one Christmas Eve. Painfully thin with raw, bleeding paws, a deep wound on her head and seven dead puppies inside her, she had been thrown out onto the street. Ruby was a challenge, she chased sheep, she picked chickens up in her mouth and brought them into the house. At www.thefarmanimalsamctuary.co.uk
Page 5
AUTUMN NEWSLETTER
15 SEPTEMBER 2016
And finally‌. Many years ago a Law was passed which recognised that farm animals were recognised as sentient beings. They are capable of showing trust and recognition for humans, they feel pain, fear, extreme stress leading to sudden death. This can happen during transport to the slaughterhouse, being driven into the slaughterhouse often with shouts and sticks, and finally, into the killing pen, not a place they would willingly choose to walk into. Despite this, and our so called strict Welfare Laws, which are amongst the best in the world, we allow our animals to be killed without being pre stunned. They are fully conscious while they are restrained to have their throats are cut. They bleed to death. In the name of Religion. I'm not a scholar, I don't know how these beliefs came about. I have listened to debates amongst Leaders and Scholars of certain faiths who are totally against this practise because it was never written into their Laws, but later interpreted for some obscure reason to suit a minority of people. This then became common practise. Millions of our animals are now killed in this way in this country. We are petitioning to make this practise illegal and have enclosed a petition form. If yours is the only signature please still fill it in and return it, every single signature will help. If you can, please ask friends, neighbours, even the postman to add their name. It's the least we can do.
Thanks for your support, please stay with us for their sake.
Before we go‌ We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Beryl Romano, who runs A1 Petline, providing fundraising and support for animal and human charities. Beryl has kindly provided funding for several field shelters and for fencing, which will make our sheep so much more comfortable this winter. Thank you Beryl!
YOU CAN NOW DONATE USING PAYPAL! Send your donations to info@thefarmanimal sanctuary.co.uk or visit our website
All best wishes,
www.thefarmanimalsamctuary.co.uk
Page 6