Summer is almost here; what could be a better complement to a sunny day than a trip to visit barnyard animals in the country? How about a visit to a "compassionate farm" where the animals are treated with as much respect as people. The Catskill Animal Sactuary, located in Saugerties, NY (about 2 hours from NYC) is just such a haven for abandoned and abused farm animals, including horses, ponies, cows, goats, sheep, donkeys, pigs, rabbits, and a variety of birds.
After visiting the animals, I sat down with the woman that is behind it all, Kathy Stevens. Stevens founded the sanctuary in 2001 and lives and works there with the animals every day.
Starre Vartan: What makes the Catskill Animal Sanctuary different from a typical small farm (which, in its sunny pastoralism, it certainly resembles)?
Kathy Stevens: The big difference here is that animals come in broken, usually starved and often psychologically abused. Most come from situations of profound and long-term neglect or abuse. So the process of healing them physically is one challenge. The emotional stuff is also difficult, but also the most rewarding, because when you take an animal that has never known kindness and show it that for the rest of it’s life it will never know harm again, it’s an amazing thing.
SV: How do you deal with a sheep, chicken or pig that is psychologically abused? I rescued a dog from an abusive home several years ago and it was an incredibly difficult process of rehabbing him. You can't do talk-therapy with them, so what are your tactics?
KS: The process of healing is different for any animal, and so it’s also different from animal to animal. There are two universal principles that we apply to any animal that comes in. The first is that we meet every one on his own terms and in his own time. If they want to hide in the corner, because that’s how they feel safe, we just let them adjust as quickly or slowly as they want. The second thing, because it makes intuitive sense, is that we tend to make ourselves physically very small. Whether you have a scared chicken or a cow, you sit on the ground and be still. You make yourself as small as you can and the stiller you are, the less threatening you appear.
We also use very quiet voices, and then we wait for the animal to make the first move, for them to come to you in some small way. It may just be eye contact. We had a horse that literally tried to scale the wall when he first got here. In one case it took 3 full years before healing; for Rambo the sheep, it took 2 years. He was the most violent animal we’ve ever had. But every single animal has come around to a place where they can be interacted with.
SV: Why have you chosen to work with farm animals and not exotics or pets?
KS: These are animals that people don’t consider. We all love our dogs and cats and understand that whales and chimps should not be experimented on, and wildlife should be preserved and protected. But most of us don’t consider the chicken, the pig or the cow. People come to the sanctuary whether they’re visitors or volunteering, and they see that it’s not just the animals getting food and water, they’re getting love by the bundle full. The animals become these large, lively, sensitive, inquisitive beings that seek out human attention.
If it’s true that they are more like our beloved pets than we consider, and that they’re more like human beings that we consider, then the next question is automatically, do I want to participate in the torture of these animals? Not to mention that farm animals contribute to the poisoning and environmental havoc happening on the planet.
SV: How does veganism (eschewing of all animal products, including meat, dairy, eggs) fit in with your mission at the Sanctuary?
KS: I didn’t become vegan until probably 2001-2002. I stopped eating meat years earlier, mostly because I think if we’re fortunate enough to have a human body, then we need to use it to a good end. And that means, at least for me, that I want to minimize the hurt that I cause any other living thing.
Then I found that whole world out there that exposes agribusinesses, which is a monster. This is not hype. I would encourage everyone to start learning about this issue for themselves. Just do a Google search, or read Dominion, by Matthew Scully, which looks at all the things that we humans do to animals, from farm animals to hunted animals to circus animals, from a moral point of view and turns the concept of Dominion on it’s head. There’s a book called The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter Jim Mason and Peter Singer.
SV: What exactly made you want to open an educational sanctuary for farm animals?
KS: I had been a teacher for 11 years and had been invited to become an administrator at a charter school. I realized I would be leaving behind the immediate connection with the kids. I turned the job down. I was 38; I asked myself, ‘What do I want to do with the rest of my life?’ I’d always imagined I’d run a school. I took a lot of long walks and did some soul searching. Over a couple of months, I realized that I wanted to connect the two things I love passionately. Learning should be transformational. And I wanted to communicate my profound love and respect for animals. What does that look like?
I went on the web and looked around, and found sanctuaries, which I’d never heard of. I noticed that there were almost no sanctuaries for farm animals. I found Farm Sanctuary, which does a great job with legislation. But nobody was doing the educational side. Then I got to work. My partner and I toured sanctuaries on the east coast, got out legal ducks in the row, and recruited volunteers.
SV: What led you to this?
I had known from a very young age that animals are so much more than most of us fathom. I had the good fortune to grow up on a training farm for thoroughbreds. We were a Noah’s ark; we had donkey, cows, chickens, etc. When I combined that early experience with learning about how we are raising our food, I realized the situation was horrifying and unacceptable. If mainstream people if they knew how our food animals are grown (I won’t say raised since it implies caring) they would reject it. The impetus was the love and understanding of animals your whole life.
SV: How can folks get involved in the sanctuary?
KS: We are a very easy trip from the city, and are open to volunteering and to visitors [Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm]. There are lots of other cool things to do here like classes and workshops. For people who can’t physically come visit us, we have sponsorships of specific animals and membership plans. I’ve also just written a book, called “Where the Blind Horse Sings”. The proceeds from the book go directly to Catskill Animal Shelter. I hope that the book does what the sanctuary does, which shows people that animals are more than we know. Is a chicken more than just something on my plate?
The animals have been my greatest teachers. I can’t believe what they have to say to us when we’re paying attention.
