HOME FREE! ER IS RISING WHICH IS PUTTING A HUGE STRAIN ON RESOURCES AVAILABLE
A ONE PERSON OPERATED ANIMAL SANCTUARY NEEDS TO EXPAND BUT IT REQUIRES FUNDRAISING
The owner of a South Sligo animal sanctuary is hoping for more support as the number of animals in her care continues to grow.
Nia Ni Greine runs Heartstone Sanctuary near Aclare, which is s a veganic (vegan organic) animal sanctuary, providing rescued animals with a safe haven for life, a peaceful refuge to live out their lives loved and cherished.
Heartstone also promotes sustainability and holistic nonviolence, actively developing a model of a peaceful co-existence with nature.
The residents’ health and well-being are first priority and Heartstone works with several veterinarians and natural health care practitioners to ensure optimum care.
Nia operates the sanctuary on 10 acres of land, which she feels is far too small for the number of animals in her care. She runs the sanctuary by herself, which requires at least 18 hours of work a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
“It wasn’t really planned like this, I was hoping to get more support but I never did really,” she told The Sligo Champion.
Nia bought the site at the end of 2016. She hadn’t initially planned for it to turn into a sanctuary as it was too small.
“From my perspective, a sanctuary would be a lot bigger. It developed, at first it was a micro-sanctuary and then it outgrew the term so then I started calling it a sanctuary in March 2017, that’s when I set up the Facebook page. It grew ever since. I’m way beyond capacity but there’s no other place to take cows, no safe place. So what do you do when you’re confronted with a face? If this little calf is going to die if you don’t take them, what do you do?”
She always wanted to run a sanctuary. She had a small sanctuary in Germany, but says she never really had the money here as she was self employed. She saved, and bought the 10 acres which was all she could buy at the time with the money she had.
“It wasn’t suitable for a proper sanctuary,” she added. “With all the need here, there’s no other proper places. Initially I had three cows and a few chickens and smaller animals and then it grew and grew. It was always a decision between life and death. I take them or they go to the slaughterhouse. It wasn’t completely unplanned.”
Most of the animals at Heartstone Sanctuary have been surrendered by farmers who do not want to send them to the slaughterhouse.
“Some have been badly treated previously and were rescued by rescue groups or individuals but most have been surrendered by farmers themselves for various reasons. Some dairy farmers don’t want to kill the bull cows.
“They might not be of any use and usually they’re just slaughtered. I got three from the same dairy farm who didn’t want to kill them. I have two disabled cows. They’re both blind, one is half deaf. One is from a dairy farm and one is from a beef farm and the farmer had a soft spot for them and asked me would I take them rather than take them to the slaughterhouse.”
Heartstone is home to an array of animals, cats, dogs, cows and sheep with more to come. There isn’t space for all the residents, and that’s why Nia is fundraising to try to buy a bigger site which would allow the residents the space they need.
“I have two resident dogs. I used to take difficult cases out of the pound that were to be put down or were considered dangerous but at the moment I am full with all the other residents. I have two resident cats and two resident dogs, I have nine sheep at the moment with three more coming, nine cows with a calf, four ponies. I think the total is 26 with a few more coming.”
Overstretched land means not only that there is a lack of sufficient grass for grazing, but also that the land is literally being destroyed by the animals’ weight, especially the cows’ - which is far from sustainable in many regards.
The cost of sustaining the sanctuary is huge and Nia estimates it takes about €3,000 a month to run and to feed all of the animals in her care.
“It’s completely crazy. People don’t realise. It looks a relatively small number but I have my expenses. I don’t know the exact number but it must be over €3,000 a month. Cows are more expensive than horses.
“At the moment I’m working 18 hours a day, there’s not even a sufficient sleep for me. Newborn lambs require a lot of feeding. It’s a full-time job, 365 days a year. I can
never get out of here only maybe for two hours to get feed or something.”
More land will also allow the expansion of the sanctuary’s rescue efforts (often in cooperation with the rescue group #SanctuaryNotSlaughter) and will also allow efforts in areas absolutely essential for the survival of humankind, such as rewilding, reforestation, veganic food growing and agroforestry, and a sanctuary for wildlife and bees.
Thankfully, and after years of watching the market closely, a suitable property has become available nearby. The lot includes 25 acres of diverse lands, suitable not only for grazing, but also for development in the areas Heartstone is planning to extend into.
With its range of historic stone sheds and a large hay shed, water and power supply, it is high in potential and offers amazing value.
A GoFundMe page has been set up by Vegan Life Ireland to raise the required funds to purchase the land, along with fundraisers being run by Heartstone Sanctuary.
As difficult as it is, Nia will always put the animals first, no matter what it takes.
“It absolutely is my calling in life. It’s not sustainable, no-one can do that. It has to be done. The animals have to be fed and cared for, if you’re sick or injured, they have to come first. I love it but I need more support and more people to physically help.”
There are many ways you can help Nia and the residents in her care. In case you want to contribute directly towards feed and bedding, feel free to ring one of Nia’s main suppliers, PetStop Ballina or Homeland Rathscanlon and either top up Nia’s account, or order some feed for her.
People are also welcome to volunteer at the sanctuary, although it isn’t all cuddles.
“When people offer to volunteer they sometimes think it’s fluffy cuddly animals, and you’re feeding and everything is nice, but it’s mucking out and carrying buckets. Everything here is very basic and that means labour.”
To help out, to contribute or for more information on fundraisers such as the Vegan Ireland GoFundMe, check out Heartstone Veganic Sanctuary on Facebook.