Vermont is the largest dairy producing state in New England, and fifteenth in the nation. This makes it a perfect location for the Eastern Shore Sanctuary and Education Center’s newest venture. Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, our doors will soon open to cows rescued from the dairy industry.

For over ten years, the Eastern Shore Sanctuary and Education Center has provided a safe home to thousands of chickens and ducks who have endured a variety of abusive situations, from factory farms to cockfighting rings. In fact, we pioneered the use of special techniques that teach cockfighting roosters to stop fighting, and we have dozens of ex-fighters living peacefully in our flocks.

The caretaking of cows will in no way interfere with our current mission. We will still offer sanctuary to chickens, and in fact this expansion will allow us to help even more chickens than before. We are broadening our scope to help more animals in need.

Not only will we offer cows a good life, free from the terrifying manipulations of humanity, but we will also formulate innovative approaches to ending this brutal industry once and for all.

Make no mistake. Every gallon of milk means another baby stolen from his or her mother; every male baby stolen from his mother means another living creature doomed to suffer a short, painful life in a cruel veal crate. This is the bottom-line message about the dairy industry that our cows will carry forth.

In the meantime, a precious calf is already awaiting her move to our expanded sanctuary!

Rosalia was born blind. Even though she is healthy and full of life, to a dairy farmer, this beautiful living creature has no economic value, and so she was taken from her mother to be “culled.” Luckily, rescuers came to her aid and the farmer agreed to keep her until she was old enough to travel. We are thrilled that she will have the chance to live her life in a safe, healthy environment.

We have been working toward our goal of expansion since we moved to Vermont a year ago, and hope to be able to complete the process with no delays.

To that end, we need to raise $100,000 to complete the task of preparing a safe home for Rosalia and others like her. We need sand for bedding, feeding and watering equipment, free-standing partitions for cows who need quiet time, and all of the other accoutrements necessary to care for cows in need.
 
“This is a natural progression in our work,” said Miriam Jones, co-president of the Eastern Shore Sanctuary and Education Center, “and definitely in keeping with our broader social perspective on how farm animals are exploited. Roosters and bulls are seen as violent men, while hens and dairy cows are burdened with the idea that females are only useful for their reproductive organs. Both species, of course, deserve to live free from the consequences of such human perceptions. We welcome not only the cows, but also the chance to challenge these beliefs.”

Help us help the refugees from the dairy industry. Donate now to the Eastern Shore Sanctuary and Education Center; every single penny goes directly to help the animals.

About the Eastern Shore Sanctuary and Education Center:

Founded in a rural region dominated by the poultry industry and now relocated to a rural region focused upon the dairy industry, the Eastern Shore Sanctuary and Education Center provides a haven for hens, roosters, and ducks who have escaped or been rescued from the meat and egg industries or other abusive circumstances, such as cockfighting. Beginning in September, 2010, we will provide a haven for cows who have escaped or been rescued from the dairy industry.

We also conduct research and education aimed at systemic changes in agriculture, trade, consumption, and human attitudes about animals and the environment. We work within an ecofeminist understanding of the interconnection of all life and the intersection of all forms of oppression. Thus we welcome and work to facilitate alliances among animal, environmental, and social justice activists

The Eastern Shore Sanctuary is a 501(c)3 tax exempt corporation.