A Tour of West Place Animal Sanctuary
Recently, I took a tour of West Place Animal Sanctuary in Tiverton, Rhode Island. The sanctuary is a beautiful haven for animals who have been injured, abused, neglected, or abandoned.
Each animal has a story.
The story behind the sanctuary and its founder, Wendy Taylor, was one of my inspirations for writing my book, The Mystical Sanctuary. You can watch her 20-minute TEDx Talk, “Service Over Self: Leaving a Sustainable Legacy,” here:
https://www.ted.com/talks/wendy_taylor_service_over_self_leaving_a_sustainable_legacy
It’s worth watching. Her story is both deeply heartbreaking and profoundly heartwarming.
The sanctuary sits on eight acres of farmland and is home to dozens of animals at any given time.
Pigs. Horses. Cows. Chickens. Geese. Emus. Goats. Turkeys. Ducks. Sheep.
Oh my!
As I stood with our group while our guide, Patrick, gave us an overview and history of the sanctuary, it felt a bit surreal to see a real-life version of the kind of sanctuary I had imagined in my novel.
Patrick first introduced us to Collins, a male cow who had been rescued from slaughter. He gently tried to coax Collins into coming to the fence to greet us, but Collins apparently decided he wasn’t budging from his shady spot on that hot Fourth of July morning.
And yes, it was hot that day!
We all did our best to find bits of shade here and there throughout the tour. I smiled when it dawned on me that there were 30 people willing to listen, wait, and care despite the heat and the occasional mosquito.
Next, we paid a visit to Happy, a retired racehorse who came over to the fence as we approached his enclosure. He gratefully accepted chunks of apple and fresh blueberries from our hands.
Meanwhile, Pua the pig waddled over to receive her share of the attention and fruit. Like all the animals there, Pua had a story of her own. You can read it on the West Place website:
https://www.westplace.org/farm-animal-rescue
I was deeply impressed by the love and care given to these animals. The caregivers, most of whom are volunteers, make sure every animal has a mate or companion, depending on its circumstances. Sometimes they go to great lengths to make that happen.
For example, after one of the sanctuary’s two emus died, the remaining emu began showing signs of depression and stress. The sanctuary set out to find a companion for her. They eventually obtained a single emu egg, even though the seller’s usual policy was to sell the eggs in pairs. Once the sanctuary explained the circumstances, the seller agreed to make an exception.
Emus make a sound known as drumming.
Who knew?
You can hear what it sounds like here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovnftog45VA
There was also a duck named Andy who had been born without eyes and was currently serving as a foster parent to two young orphaned ducklings.
I noticed small engraved metal plaques attached to the outer planks of the emus’ fence. They bore the names of animals who had passed away while living at the sanctuary.
Those plaques stayed with me.
In a world where so many animals are treated as nameless, replaceable, or invisible, there was something deeply moving about seeing their names preserved. These animals had not only been rescued.
They had been known and loved.
There is so much heart here.
I should also mention that on Tuesday, July 14, West Place will hold a Day of Remembrance honoring the animals who suffered from abuse and neglect at a farm in Westport, Massachusetts, ten years ago.
Everyone is invited to attend the remembrance ceremony from 11:00 to 11:30 a.m. A free tour will follow for registered Westport, Massachusetts, residents.
You can learn more about the event and the 2016 Westport Animal Cruelty Case here:
https://www.westplace.org/westport
At the end of our tour, Patrick smashed a few watermelons for the sheep.
They loved it!
Our final stop was the gift shop. Along with jewelry, candles, keychains, and other knickknacks, my book, The Mystical Sanctuary, is available there. Purchases from the gift shop help support the costs of feeding and caring for the animals.
If you have the opportunity and the interest, I highly recommend taking a tour of West Place Animal Sanctuary. You’ll learn a great deal about animals and animal care while also helping to support the sanctuary’s important work.
Animals can be expensive. If you share your life with a dog, cat, or any other pet, you know exactly what I’m talking about!
Have you ever visited an animal sanctuary? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments. And if West Place has touched your heart, consider taking a tour, sharing its story, or supporting its work in whatever way feels right to you.