Lily was born on a dairy farm in Maine July 2022. Deemed too small to be a good production cow, she was put up on craigslist for $30. The life of a dairy cow is far from the “happy cow” advertisements we are used to seeing. Dairy cows are typically confined in small areas, impregnated year after year and bred to produce as much milk as possible which causes all sorts of health problems. Contrary to popular belief, cows do not produce milk just because they are cows, they produce milk when they have babies. These babies are considered “byproducts” and are treated as such, taken away from their moms hours or days after birth if not right away and then kept in solitary confinement either to be raised for slaughter or to be put into milk production when they are old enough. 99% of U.S. farmed animals are raised and kept in factory farm production so it is extremely likely that the milk you are drinking came from a dairy cow kept in deplorable conditions (www.sentienceinstitute.org). Lily is one of the lucky ones! Due to her size, she was slated for slaughter but instead found herself at a farm animal sanctuary. She will never be exploited for her milk or forcibly impregnated. She will always have access to grass, sunshine, places to play and move. She spends her days eating grass and taking naps with her BFF, Ferdinand. Follow the link for 5 ways YOU can help farmed animals: https://awionline.org/content/5-ways-you-can-help-farm-animals

“Ferdie” was born on a dairy farm in Maine July 2022. He was taken from his mom right after he was born, so the dairy farm could start taking her milk. Since he was born male in a dairy farm, his life was meant to be cut short very early on as they are considered “byproducts” of the industry and are discarded as such. Male calves are either fattened up for a few months and then sent to slaughter for veal or they are killed right away for dog food etc. Ferdie was born at the same dairy farm as Lily and was also listed on craigslist for $30. We don’t like to pay for animals like this because we don’t want to support these industries with our money, but seeing these two listed at 1 and 2 days old we knew we had to do something. So we went and picked them up together and they spend everyday together enjoying the simple things in life like sunshine, grass and chin scratches. Lily and Ferdinand were the first farm animal rescues at New England Animal Sanctuary! Click the link for more information on cows used for the dairy and beef industries: https://awionline.org/content/cattle

N.E.A.S. was contacted by a local family in December 2022 about a bonded pair of Nigerian dwarf goats that needed a forever home. Their family was going through personal issues and could no longer provide care for Hank and Stella. This family provided a wonderful home for them for 3 years, they were bottle-fed as babies, well-loved by their grandchildren and lived a happy life in their backyard with their chickens. We are so grateful we could provide a safe and forever home to these cuties!    

Marlene and Karen came from a cruelty case in New Hampshire and were put up for adoption at the NHSPCA with the rest of their herd family. Unfortunately, due to their shyness and fiber type they were passed over as the rest of their goat/sheep family was adopted out. We heard their story and went to go meet them at the NHSPCA facility. The names, Marlene and Karen, had already been given and were Deirdre’s grandma and her best friend were named so we felt it was fated for us to go rescue these gals! They told us that one woman came out to adopt them but said they weren’t the right fiber type for the wool that she uses so she left without adopting them. We don’t know their full story, but we do know that these ladies are very scared of humans and are just starting to learn to trust. Sheep are used for meat, dairy and wool around the world. Our veterinarian thinks based on their age and breed, Marlene and Karen were most likely a part of a lamb production, where they were impregnated and their babies were taken away to be slaughtered for meat(lamb). Marlene and Karen will live the rest of their lives here at the sanctuary and will never be exploited by humans again! If you want to learn more about the cruelty in the wool industry visit these links: https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/wool-industry/
https://www.idausa.org/campaign/farmed-animal/wool-cruelty/

Lily was born and orphaned in May 2020 on a family farm in Iowa. She was then raised inside the family home and taken on daily neighborhood walks with the family dog. It soon became clear that Lily was outgrowing the house. The family moved to Connecticut and found friend with a sheep, Cece (also born and orphaned in 2020.) That friend offered to keep Lily and Cece together on their property. They lived there for two and half years until that owner sold their property and could not take Lily and Cece with them on their move. That is when they reached out to their community in CT and found N.E.A.S. Lily and Cece joined the sanctuary in June 2023.

Ben & Jerry AND Katahdin & Kineo

Ben, Jerry (Nigerian Dwarf goats), Katahdin and Kineo (Ooberhasli Dairy goats) were originally purchased to be used for a goat lawn mowing business, but due to COVID their families’ circumstances changed and they no longer had time for these goats. They were put up on craigslist several times to try and find them a new home, but each time the response was that they would be slaughtered. Luckily, the humans caring for them at the time did not want this to happen, so they waited until we could take them in and now they can live the rest of their lives here in a sanctuary. The four arrived to N.E.A.S. as a group in May 2023 and they live happily together in “Tim’s Goat Tavern”.