Spring Newsletter
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1 May 2017
Spring Newsletter, May 2017
Dear Friends and Supporters Spring is here, the lambing season is nearing the end, our little cherry tree is in full white blossom, daffodils are just beginning to fade, and the sun is shining. A very belated thank you for the Christmas cards, the donations, biscuits for the sheep, carrots for the ponies and seasonal refreshment for me, all very gratefully received. As I write most of the animals are basking in the sun. Pigs are steaming quietly in wallows, cats stretched out fast asleep on the barn roof, horses dozing under the trees, sheep are spread out beneath the hawthorn hedges. Unfortunately, last month was a different story. Storm Doris came howling through the vale, took away roofs from sheds and small shelters, which was bad enough, but then it turned nasty and took one of our newly built Field Shelters, tossed it in the air, smashing it into a new fence. It was heartbreaking to discover the awful damage. The sheep have made full use of it,
Patron: Joanna Lumley OBE
sheltering inside when it rained, and the horses using it to get out of the sun and the flies. We're just grateful that there were no animals sheltering in there when the storm hit. The sheep had just been brought into the barns to spend the winter, the horses had just been moved into a different paddock. We now have to raise the funds to replace the shelter. It cost us just over £3000, we can't do without it as our ageing population of animals really need the protection offered by the shelters. All help to do this will be very much appreciated, especially by the animals.
www.thefarmanimalsanctuary.co.uk
Registered Charity: 702287
Spring Newsletter
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1 May 2017
New Arrivals Paula the Goose Paula the goose is a ver y tall, elegant, blue eyed bird. She joined one of our resident ganders, Paul. Paul has lived a bachelor existence for many years since losing his par tner. He wa s immediatel y besotted with this aristocratic creature. It didn't take long before she was invited to join him in his bachelor pad. Another marriage made in heaven, we hope?
Matilda the Turkey With thanks to one of our supporters, one turkey and one goose survived the festive tradition of being killed and eaten, accompanied by all the trimmings of course. What are trimmings, I've always wondered? The turkey, now named Matilda, is a friendly, chatty character, full of curiosity. She likes to watch what everyone is doing and add her fourpennyworth of advice to whoever happens to be cleaning the poultry houses. Her idea of helping is to rearrange bits of straw that someone is trying to throw out and take it back in again.
Patron: Joanna Lumley OBE
Buxton Eight Eight sheep, who had been kept as pets came to us early in the year from a private home. All were friendly and trusting, always well looked after. Sadly, circumstances changed for their owners, they weren't able to continue with their care. Sending them off for slaughter was unthinkable, but would have been the next option for them if we weren't able to take them. Luckily for everyone we were able to find space to take them. A safe home for the rest of them lives.
The Texels Three smiley, white, chubby ewes followed them. Too old for breeding, not financially viable to be kept, basically no longer wanted as they were past their best. A safe home was looked for them in their retirement. One of them, we named Doris recently began looking rather more than chubby. Doris obviously decided, while no one was looking, to have one more go at getting pregnant. Looks like it could be any day now. If I'm very fortunate Doris will decide to produce her offspring at some convenient daytime hour. We can all keep a discreet distance and offer words of encouragement, better than going out at some ungodly hour in wellies and dressing gown.
www.thefarmanimalsanctuary.co.uk
Registered Charity: 702287
Spring Newsletter
Fund Raising If anyone is able to do a Car Boot sale, hold a coffee morning, organise a quiz night, anything that will bring in funds we'll be so grateful.
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1 May 2017
Barry and Evelyn Barry the lamb was brought to us in March. He was found lying by the side of the road, not moving. His Good Samaritan stopped his car and ran back to pick him up before this helpless lamb was hit by passing traffic. A search for his owner was fruitless, no one claimed him. Like so many abandoned lambs we've taken in over the years Barry was brought to us so that he would be safe and could spend the rest of his life being treated with respect, and not as a piece of meat.
Open Day Sunday September 3rd!
Contact us To keep him company Josie, our Vet, brought little Evelyn home the next day. Evelyn was one of triplets. Most farmers remove one of the triplets and either bottle feed, or put on an automatic feeder, leaving the ewe to feed two. Lambs grow faster without extra competition at the milk bar.
01386 834500 Manor Orchard Farm, School Lane, Middle Littleton, Evesham, WR11 8LN jan@thefarmanimalsanctuary .co.uk
Patron: Joanna Lumley OBE
13 Soays Numbers increased again when we brought home 13 pretty little Soay ewes and their 15 lambs. Their owners could no longer a ffo r d t o ke e p t h e m through the winter. Soay are the prettiest little sheep, extremely cheeky, the lambs look as though they belong in a Disney film. They're all first class little monkeys when it comes to rounding them up. The exercise will keep the Staff fit, especially when they have to run over our ridge and furrow fields in their winter wellies.
www.thefarmanimalsanctuary.co.uk
Registered Charity: 702287
Spring Newsletter
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1 May 2017
Others Other animals we've taken in are Charles the cockerel, dumped in a cardboard box by the front door, several varieties of hens, a little white Guinea pig, and joining our growing group of feral cats is Sage.
Sage Sage had been kept in a dark shed with no company for a very long time. She was terrified of humans, had probably never been socialised and was a growling, hissing bundle of fur. We kept her in one of our cat pens on the yard where she was able to see us and the other cats from a safe distance. Although she ate her food and used her tray she never came out, after eight weeks we made the decision to leave her door open and let her take her chance. She's still with us, living under the goose house. She's eating well and becoming bolder, maybe in time she'll join three other so called feral cats who wait by the front door at six o'clock every morning waiting to be fed.
Tilly Tilly, an aged horse, has just joined us. Again, circumstances beyond the owners control meant that Tilly, although aged, was healthy and happy, needed another home where she could spend the rest of her days in peace with company of her own kind. So many people have told us that we have been their last hope, having tried so many other alternatives if a place couldn't be found for their animal/animals the only alternative would have been euthanasia. Within 24 hours Tilly and Archie, one of our horses who has slowly been losing his sight, were standing side by side by the pond, completely relaxed with each other. They make a handsome pair.
Lottie and Jess  They're not strictly farm animals, unless you count the pair of them as potential sheepdogs, which will never happen. Lottie, who is about five years old, a little black, sweet faced, nervous little dog, comes alive when joined by Jess. They both came from a Rescue Organisation based in Cyprus, Jodie's Cyprus Dog Rescue. Jess arrived first. She was about 7 months old, small and flexible and hairy, like an overgrown caterpillar. She was followed a few months
Patron: Joanna Lumley OBE
later by Lottie. As soon as she saw Lottie Jess jumped on her and wrestled her to the floor. She does this with every dog she meets. Jess is now the size of a Dachshund, she has long blonde hair, dark eyelashes, dark streaks on her ears. Smiles at everyone and gets away with murder. Out on a walk one day she tried the wrestling manoeuvre on a middle aged Pyrenean Mountain Dog. He fell over and began to howl until his owner came to his aid and Jess had to be swiftly removed. 
www.thefarmanimalsanctuary.co.uk
Registered Charity: 702287
Spring Newsletter
Big Barn Appeal At long last we've been granted permission by the Council to demolish the old Pole Barn and build a new one. So many thanks to everyone who responded to this appeal, it will make it so much easier for us to give our oldies the shelter and comfort they've earned, we'll m a ke i t t h e b e s t "sheep Care Home" ever, and all thanks to you. Work will begin in about two weeks time, updates will be on our website, and this year, just before winter arrives, we can't wait to open the gates and herd them in to their new, 5 star luxury quarters.
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1 May 2017
Welfare. One question I'm asked on a regular basis is why would sheep/farm animals need a sanctuary? They're worth money, so no one would ill treat them or starve them would they? We were very recently asked by Trading Standards Animal Health OďŹƒcers to take in 41 ewes and lambs. The information we had was they had been recently bought in Market. At least 80% of them were badly lame. Ewes were walking on their knees, lambs were hopping or just moving a few steps because of the pain. More than half of them showed signs of a very serious eye infection, which if left untreated would eventually cause blindness. It was a very painful, unpleasant condition that needed immediate, daily treatment if their sight was to be saved. One ewe had the condition so badly that one eye was hideously swollen and inflamed, it looked about to burst. Most of the animals were thin, fleeces were hanging o, most of the lambs looked thoroughly miserable, ewes looked desperate . On a nearby property, used by the keeper of these sheep, we found the rotting carcass of a sheep in the brook. Ewes with lambs and ewes due to lamb were locked inside old, run down sheds. There was no food, water or bedding visible, just filthy, litter ridden earth floors. Two ewes had just lambed outside, left to their own devices in an area which could only be described as scrubland. I contacted our local Council who owned the land. Their comments, after someone had inspected the site were, "we couldn't see anything wrong". Someone had forgotten to inform the Inspector about the carcass in the waterway so there was no comment about that, and so no action taken.
Patron: Joanna Lumley OBE
www.thefarmanimalsanctuary.co.uk
Registered Charity: 702287
Spring Newsletter
Page 6
1 May 2017
The worst thing about all of this is that no action will be taken against the owner/keeper of the sheep with regard to their condition or how they were being kept. They will just be asked to remove what's left of the decomposed body in the brook. But, if the paperwork isn't complete, which are the Movement and Medicine records, the owner/ keeper could face a ban for life on keeping livestock? If we were talking about a dog breeder who bred and kept animals in these conditions, particularly a dead body in a waterway it would make a headline news. They're only sheep, they're going to die anyway. How often have I heard that?
And Finally‌ 
Finally, Doris the fat sheep is now looking slightly slimmer having produced a rather large lamb. He was born in the middle of the night, she did it all on her own and was still eating between contractions. We've named him Donald. Another very elderly, recently rescued, very thin ewe, not to be outdone, produced a tiny
but sturdy little ewe lamb the following day. Too old to be bred from, not fed throughout her pregnancy, both she and her lamb are lucky to have survived. They are Flora and Dora. Both are proud mums, neither of them will have to go through the trauma of having their lambs forcibly removed from them.
We wouldn't be without any of these animals. Looking after them is an exhausting, round the clock job. They make us laugh with some of the antics they get up to, and shed tears when we lose one, although it has to be stiff upper lip and get on with looking after the others. This must be one of the few places where I have to tell people to go home at the end of the day. They will come in on their day off to bring home made cakes at break time and creep in in the middle of the night to check on animals who are due to give birth. The best team of people both the animals and I could hope to have. We rely on donations and Legacies, we are still collecting broken or unwanted gold and silver jewellery, and are always looking for people who will help us to raise the funds to keep these vulnerable, deserving animals in the safest place they've ever known. Thank you for reading this, thank you for supporting us, without you we wouldn't be able to give these amazing animals the life they deserve. Patron: Joanna Lumley OBE
www.thefarmanimalsanctuary.co.uk
Registered Charity: 702287