Photo: Farm Sanctuary
President, Gene Bauston.

In 1986, Gene and Lorri Bauston* found a living sheep abandoned on a stockyard "deadpile." They rescued the sheep, named her Hilda, and created Farm Sanctuary. Within ten years, Farm Sanctuary became the nation’s largest farm animal rescue and protection organization. Most farmed animals are raised on factory "farms," where they spend their entire lives in cages or crates so small that they can not even turn around. Farmed animals are not protected from cruelty under the law. In fact, the majority of state anti-cruelty laws specifically exempt farm animals from basic humane protection — so abandoning a sick animal on a pile of dead animals is considered “normal animal agricultural” practice.

Photo: Hilda on a "deadpile"
Farm animals are living, feeling animals, not agribusiness “commodities.” Farm Sanctuary is working to change the way society views and treats animals used for food production. With the active support of over 100,000 members, we are:

• Operating coast-to-coast shelters and a national rescue and adoption network that is directly saving and providing lifelong care for thousands of rescued farm animals.
  
• Waging groundbreaking campaigns and investigations which have resulted in the nation’s first cruelty convictions of stockyards, factory farms and slaughterhouses.
  
• Passing the first ever laws banning cruel factory farming practices and the abuse of “downed” animals (animals too sick or weak to even stand).
  
• Educating millions of people about farm animal suffering through extensive media projects and national news features, humane education and internships, shelter visitor programs, conferences, and other education and outreach projects.

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