Times are changing and things are getting better for animals which is really great to see.  One area where things have changed tremendously is in the farm sanctuary world.  There are many new farm sanctuaries in existence today and the growing movement has gained a lot of popularity.  It’s wonderful to see so many people raising awareness for the animals but unfortunately there are some organizations and individuals with questionable motives and abilities.

The term “rescue” is used rather loosely nowadays as it seems to be a common word among a lot of animal dealer types.  What was once reserved as a description for legitimate organizations who were genuinely saving animals’ lives from certain death is now commonly used by various animal breeders, dealers and others who are just looking to make a quick buck.

Sadly there are a lot of animal related businesses out there calling themselves “rescues” while their commercialized endeavors do little, if anything to endorse actual rescue and advocacy efforts – and it’s very important to know the difference.  While some may be shady in their dealings, others don’t have a clue what they’re doing and their ignorance is putting the health and safety of the animals in their care at risk.

With the help of social media, anyone and their dog can create a following of supporters and gain a lot of publicity through minimal efforts, especially if they focus on the cutsie stuff.  True rescues and sanctuaries work hard to make life better for all animals, not just those in their immediate care, and that’s why education is such an important part of our work.  Unfortunately some opportunistic types use the good name of rescues and sanctuaries to promote themselves for their own personal gain rather than being an advocate for the animals.  At the end of the day, some so-called rescues are little more than glorified petting zoos which is very much counter productive to the actual farm sanctuary movement.

Some points to consider when trying to determine the legitimacy of a rescue organization include:

– Do they often have baby animals?  While babies do come into rescue on occasion, they don’t come in nearly as often as adults so if you notice an organization with a seemingly endless stream of new babies, especially with no explanation of how they got there – that’s a huge red flag!  While farm animals are sometimes surrendered to rescues, babies rarely are.  When it comes to adoptions, it’s considerably easier to adopt out babies than it is adults so some so-called “rescues” routinely acquire animals for the sole purpose of resale.  This can be highly lucrative when you consider that the average cost of a baby goat or piglet is often as little as $10 or less (at auctions or from intensified farming operations) while an adoption fee can fetch upwards of $300!  The re-sale of farm animal babies does absolutely nothing for the farm sanctuary or advocacy movement and is in fact extremely counter productive as it endorses the very industries and practices that legitimate sanctuaries are working to oppose.

– Do they spay and neuter all of the animals in their care, as well as those they adopt out?  While it sometimes may not be practical to spay all farmed animals, especially those who are seniors or some larger female livestock, the majority of animals can and should be fixed, especially if they are to be re-homed to prevent them from being exploited and ending up contributing to the already overwhelming animal overpopulation crisis.  If they have a number of unaltered animals in their care and worse yet, are adopting them out – that’s a red flag!

– Are they trying to raise money for unreasonably overpriced items?  Some organizations claim they need to raise ridiculous amounts of money for items that cost a fraction of the amount that they’re asking for.  Since a good majority of farm sanctuary supporters are often city people who aren’t familiar with the costs and needs of farm animals, machinery, equipment, feed, and so on, some shady rescues exploit their goodness by asking for massive amounts of donations to fund their minimal efforts.  If the amount of money they’re asking for sounds astronomical and a quick Google search confirms your suspicions – yet another red flag!

– Are they a registered charity?  Acquiring and maintaining charitable status is a lot of work and requires accountability and transparency which people who run pseudo rescues couldn’t be bothered to do.  While some organizations claim to be charitable, the term “charity” is reserved for those who are federally registered with the Canadian Customs and Revenue Agency and adhere to strict guidelines as set forth by the Charities Directorate.  If an organization has been in operation for more than a few years and fails to have charitable status, or claims to be a charity but a quick search on the Canadian charities listing site proves otherwise – again, another red flag!

– Are there more selfie pics of them on their rescue page than there are of the actual animals in their care?  You can tell a lot about a rescue and what their priorities are when there are more pictures focusing attention on the people, rather than the animals.  If their collection of personal photos exceeds those of the animals – yet another red flag!

– Are they transparent in their operations? When raising money for hay, to build a barn, medical bills, or whatever the need, do they have something to show for it or do they simply raise the money and you never see or hear from them again until they need more money?  Are they accountable for their actions?  Can you track their progress with photos and regular updates or are they secretive in their dealings?  If they don’t openly share information about the disbursement of the funds they raised or worse yet, they disappear without a trace – massive red flag!

While several honest and legitimate rescues and sanctuaries do exist, sadly there are many out there that are less than forthright.  In the nearly two decades that RASTA has been in operation, we’ve seen many so-called rescue-type operations come and go over the years.  It’s important to know who and what your hard-earned donation dollars are supporting because at the end of the day, those who aren’t in it for the right reasons are ultimately hurting the animals and the cause, as well as the other rescues and sanctuaries that are working tirelessly to make a difference.  There are many rescue and sanctuary-type organizations out there nowadays so please do your research and be careful who you donate to.