By Jenny Brown on January 19, 2012
Jenny, Dylan (rescued as a veal calf) and Doug
Hello Crazy Sexy Posse! My name is Jenny Brown and I am the Co-Founder and Director of the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary—a non-profit organization and shelter that rescues farm animals and works to end the systematic abuse of farm animals everywhere. I am mother to over 150 furred and feathered souls who have, in one way or another, been abused, neglected, discarded or abandoned. I am also a cancer survivor! Yay me!
At the wee age of 10 years old I was diagnosed with Osteogenic Sarcoma or — in other words — BONE CANCER (gasp!). I endured almost 3 long years of chemo and lost my lower right leg. I’m also a veggie-lovin’ vegan who grew up in Louisville, Kentucky and never even heard the word “vegetarian” until, uh, college? Seriously. There was rarely ever a vegetable cooked in my house that didn’t have a ham hock (aka: pig’s knee) in it! Every meal incorporated meat or dairy (usually both) until my first semester of college where not only did I hear the word “vegetarian” but I became one instantly after reading about the plight of farm animals. It was then that I made some life-changing connections between the meat on my plate and the miserable life of the individual it came from.
My guess is that if you’re a part of this online community you’re probably taking steps to get healthy, adopt a greener lifestyle, kick your cancer’s ass, or all of the above. I am sure you are also beginning to understand that adopting a well-balanced vegan diet is a great way to possibly achieve all these goals. And let’s not kid ourselves—old habits are hard to break. Changing your diet can be really challenging—especially since we live in a society where animal products are BEYOND prevalent—they are the mainstay. But if you need more reasons or motivation for moving towards a plant-based diet, how about 100 of them —because that is roughly the number of animals you will save each year by going vegan!
Andy the pig – rescued last summer from slaughter
And chew on these stats: The average meat eater is responsible for the deaths of some 2,400 animals during his or her lifetime. In more personal terms, during a 75-year life span, a typical U.S. resident is responsible for the suffering and death of 10 cows, 34 pigs and other small mammals, 2,535 turkeys, chickens and ducks, and uncounted numbers of aquatic animals. Good Lord! We’re walking graveyards!
Sadly, most people just don’t realize how dramatically meat and dairy production in the US has changed over the past 50 years. Those childhood images of happy animals living on sunny, idyllic farms couldn’t be further from reality. Virtually all animals that are raised for food — or their products — live miserable lives in intensive confinement in dark, overcrowded facilities called “factory farms.” These nasty corporate operations emphasize high volume and profit with little or no regard for the environment or humane treatment of animals.
Animals raised for food endure a life of suffering which is something not evident in the neatly wrapped packages of meat offered for sale at grocery store counters. We are so disconnected from the process of raising and killing animals that if you ask a child where meat comes from she might just say the freezer!
Albie wearing his artificial leg, Photo Credit: Ambers Clark
We pay others to do our dirty work. Bruce Friedrich (one of my heros!) asks, “ how many of us could spend an afternoon cutting animals’ throats, or even watching it? And then ask yourself in what other areas of your life do you pay others to do things you find too repulsive? And how ethical is it to pay someone to do things that are wholly unnecessary and too atrocious to watch?”
So just do it guys – cut out the meat and dairy! It’s so easy and when you really break it down, think of it this way: Is the trivial pleasure of your taste buds worth a life of misery for some poor nameless farm animal that feared death? That wanted to live? That mourns for the calves or the piglets torn from her? That suffered her entire life in a gestation crate or in a battery cage so that people can eat her flesh, her mammary secretions (milk) or her unfertilized embryos (ahem, eggs).
My husband Doug and I started Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary to not only help as many farm animals as possible but to get people thinking about the individuals behind the corpses on their plates. The ones who come through our doors are but a tiny fraction of the billions of animals suffering RIGHT NOW for the meat and dairy industries. But together with these animals our job is to raise a greater sense of ethical awareness—to fill the collective hole in the conscience of society—and hopefully in turn, save more animals by convincing people not to eat them.
Carli the dog acting as surrogate Mom for tiny Clover the goat
Sanctuaries are unique in that we have the opportunity to potentially open the hearts and minds of those of who visit. Seeing is believing, and once visitors are able to see and interact with these animals in a natural, loving environment, there is no denying that they think, feel and simply enjoy life.
So if the temptation of pepperoni pizza or that hamburger is stronger than your health-motivated will power, remember that those slices, that patty and those wings came from someone.
As Albert Schweitzer– the great humanitarian & philosopher—once said—“Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight.” This is what I ask of people and what I ask of you. And if you need a good dose of ethical motivation, come on down to our sanctuary sometime and let your heart, not your habit, do the guiding!
Originally published February 19, 2009.
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By Jenny Brown on January 4, 2010
Jenny has put together a list of triumphs for our animal friends in 2009. Hope it motivates you to make your first Monday in 2009 a meatless one!
This Thanksgiving I was asked to speak at the Berkshire Vegetarian Network’s holiday dinner, and in the true spirit of the day (and a bad bout of writer’s block) I came up with a list of ten things for which I’m thankful. The food was great and with my veins coursing with a tremendous amount of carbs, I delivered the speech — which was a big hit with the Berkshire set. Being a very generous person, I thought to myself, who am I to deny the lovely readers of CSL this collection of precious little nuggets, suitable for livening up any holiday gathering? Here they are and, in advance, you’re welcome!
10. I’m thankful that the number of vegans in the U.S. now out-numbers the membership of the NRA! Whoot! Whoot!
9. I’m thankful for the legislative victories in a number of states across the US that ban the most egregious practices in factory farming. Even though the new regulations only make it marginally better for animals living in intense confinement operations, these are steps in the right direction and they set a precedent for more improvements.
8. My husband Doug and I are very thankful for the hood in NYC’s East Village that we like to call “Vegantown” – First Ave below 12th St – where you can’t swing blob of tofu without hitting a vegan-friendly restaurant!
7. I’m thankful for all the healthy, humane plant-based alternatives for holiday meals that are popping up everywhere online, in books, magazines, and newspapers—and even for Holiday Diva Martha Stewart, who devoted an entire show to the horrors of the meat industry without feeling the need to offer the industry a rebuttal. She took the opportunity to educate her audience on factory farming, with help from author Jonathan Safran Foer (of “Eating Animals”) and filmmaker Robert Kenner (Food, Inc.).
6. Oh – and that makes me thankful for Jonathan Safran Foer whose book “Eating Animals” has received a tremendous amount of media coverage and who has become a wonderful spokesperson for farmed animals. Even when confronted with an unbelievably asinine or hostile question, he is able to articulately answer with a sharp wit and calm nobility.
5. I’m full of thanks that I’m not in a room where the focal point of the day’s celebration is the carcass of an animal who suffered his/her entire short life for the trivial pleasure of unimaginative palettes and holiday tradition. (OK, so shoot me, this one only works on Thanksgiving Day BUT – you gotta read this awesome article by Ari Solomon about us vegans (can you say RIGHT TF on!).
4. I’m thankful that the days of embarrassingly rubbery or chalky soy cheeses are almost over – such as with the invention of Daiya cheese, which melts so well and tastes delicious on pizza, in casseroles or quesadillas. And for Dr. Cow Nut Cheese, which (despite the giggle-worth name) is made from raw, healthy nuts and not from the hormone- and antibiotic-laced mammary secretions of a bovine.
3. I’m thankful for the Thanksgiving ham that collided with Celebrity Chef Paula Deen while she was “helping to deliver more than 25,000 lbs. of ham & turkey” to the less fortunate. I wonder Paula ever stop to think about ill fortune of the dead frozen animals she was tossing…or of the irony of the incident since she is a spokesperson for the nation’s top pork producer — Smithfield Foods.
2. I’m thankful for all the attention over this past year that the media has given to the myriad of issues surrounding consuming animal products—the environment, the lack of sustainability considering population growth, the impact on our health and finally, more than ever, about the ways in which farmed animals are treated. It’s finally happening friends! People are starting to care!
1. I’m thankful for all the animals at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary that we have been able to help and care for. Each of them is an individual whose life matters very much to them—and to us–and we love each of them dearly. They make our fight easier by showing visitors how unique, friendly, sentient and forgiving animals can be when shown kindness and are allowed to live a normal life with others of their kind.
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By Jenny Brown on October 5, 2009
There’s nothing like a rescue success story to kick off Meatless Monday! Jenny Brown, co-founder of Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, is here to share Julia’s journey from factory farm to farm sanctuary…
Last Tuesday, we received an unexpected call from the ASPCA. As soon as I saw the Caller I.D., I knew there were animals in trouble.
An illegal Halal slaughterhouse in the Bronx was ordered to close its doors and the ASPCA, thankfully, was there to seize the animals. Over 100 so-called “live kill” markets are peppered throughout the NYC area, serving Halal and Kosher needs, as well as others who want to select their meat in living form. These places are so notoriously run that the NY State legislature recently voted to freeze any further licensing of new markets.
This doesn’t really stop illegal operations like this one, where chickens, guinea fowl, pigeons, quail and rabbits were found inside stacked in filthy wire cages. Most were covered in feces, some featherless, many with broken bones, infections and other injuries. As the humane law enforcement officers walked the aisles of cages, all the animals pressed themselves in the corners of their cages, fearful of being the next one pulled.
We agreed to take all the chickens at the sanctuary, knowing that we had the space to at least foster them and the experience to treat the sick ones. When the ASPCA officers arrived here after dark in 3 vans after a harrowing day at the market and hours stuck in traffic, mother nature provided the perfect punctuation mark: a heavy, miserable rain. We quickly got the birds into a large, warm coop and pulled the visibly sick and injured ones into our medical center.
The next morning we were able to take a better look. About 120 chickens in all, and a variety of different breeds were identified. Julia, pictured here, is one of a dozen “spent layers” that arrived– she was a hen used for eggs, and she’d just spent around 2 years in a battery cage crammed in with other hens, helping provide the nation with cheap and plentiful eggs…until her egg production dropped and her battered body was sold to the slaughterhouse for marketing as cheap “stew meat.”
At the egg factory her beak had been cauterized short to prevent potential pecking and her feathers were beaten off from contact with the wire cages and other hens. Nearly all egg-laying hens nationwide are confined in cages so restrictive that the birds can barely move, let alone engage in many other natural behaviors such as walking, perching and dust bathing. The consequences of this kind of containment was evident seeing her take her first steps in the morning dew. For the first few hours her strides were cartoonishly big, as she was quite literally re-learning how to walk for the first time in years. The unfamiliar sensation of grass and dirt underfoot defied any chicken logic she’d experienced in the factory world, almost like walking on the moon.
As even die-hard vegetarians who come to the sanctuary learn for the first time–it is the egg-laying hens and the milk-producing cows who bear the brunt of the very worst of factory farming. These females suffer more emotional and physical pain over a much longer period of time than their just-raised-for-meat counterparts–and in the end they too become cheap, processed meat.
In the meantime, Julia is enjoying her days scratching for bugs in the grass, stretching her wings and basking in the sun for the first time in her life. She is one of the few lucky ones: each day 24 million “spent” egg-laying hens are killed in the US alone.
Until their feathers grow back she spends her nights in a straw-filled spacious pen in our little hospital room with her other liberated sisters. We encourage you to visit her and our other rescued residents and join our efforts towards a more compassionate co-existence with the creatures with whom we share this earth. To read more about the lives of egg-layers and the overall impact of a meat & dairy based diet on the animals, the environment and your health go here. Oh yea, and to boycott this cruelty and live the most compassionate life you can live–Go Vegan! (please!)
“We have enslaved the rest of the animal creation, and have treated our distant cousins in fur and feathers so badly that beyond doubt, if they were able to formulate a religion, they would depict the Devil in human form.” ~ William Ralph Inge, 1922
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By Jenny Brown on June 30, 2009
We’re beyond honored and thrilled to announce that Jim James, lead singer of the mega-popular, arena-selling-out band “My Morning Jacket,” has announced the upcoming release of a limited edition EP, with a portion of the proceeds coming to the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary! The EP is a collection of George Harrison songs recorded by Jim back in 2001 and have been sitting in a vault ever since. Read more…
END OF JUNE DEADLINE
The final days of our matching gift drive are upon us! We’re so close, please help us reach our goal! A supremely generous supporter has stepped up to match all donations through the end of June, up to $50,000. With just a few days left in June we’ve almost reached the full potential of this drive. We have over 150 rescued residents in our care and work endlessly to protect billions of farm animals throughout this country, and these funds will go a long way towards our $300,000 annual operating budget. Please help us take advantage of this rare opportunity with a donation of any amount large or small! Read more…
LATEST RESCUE: Quincy the Duck
Quincy is a domestic Pekin duck, the kind often seen in rows hanging by the neck in Chinese restaurants. Some misguided person probably bought him as an Easter gift and then did not know how to properly care for him. He was found abandoned as a tiny duckling in a NYC park. Sadly these “post-Easter abandonments” are all too common.
Now he is being watched over by the staff of Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary and he has bonded with everyone — and stolen all of our hearts. We are building a proper wading pool for him and hope to get him with some duck friends very soon. You can sponsor Quincy for $10/month by filling out this form.
Watch a video of Quincy at the farm…
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By Jenny Brown on June 19, 2009
This is the story of a young “layer” hen who was injured by a rock-throwing child. She was found almost motionless by our friend and long-time supporter Steve Stehwein, who upon hearing about her and her injured state, jumped in his car and made the 90-minute trip with her to our shelter, the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, in Woodstock, NY. Upon arrival we gently lifted her from the cardboard box she’d traveled in and laid her out on our vet table. She was unable to stand or even move her legs. She lay weak and on her side in an awkward position, just barely able to keep her head and upper body upright. Her eyes frequently closed from exhaustion and hunger. In order to have a better look at her legs and lower body we began cutting away at the giant poop clumps that clung to her little bottom – that’s when when we saw the maggots–and lots of them.
I spent the next hour treating her wounds, administering fluids and antibiotics, and with tweezers in hand, pulled off around 100 maggots. She was infested–and they had bored through her skin creating deep wounds. Flies like to lay their eggs in poop and when an animal is incapacitated and lying in its own feces, its the perfect breeding ground for maggots.
We named her Hetty, after a dedicated volunteer. She was skin and bones — totally emaciated — unwilling and unable to eat. Exhausted as she was, we had to get food in her. We began the ritual of making her a special “mash” from an assortment of high-fat foods, vitamins and electrolytes. That first day she had to be syringe fed but by the next morning she started picking at a food bowl held close to her mouth, falling asleep between each bite. We were overjoyed. We began offering food every hour, encouraging her to eat as much as she could to regain her strength.
A quick trip to the vet for X-rays showed that no bones were broken, so the damage was most likely nerved based. Having dealt with nerve damage before, we started standing her up to eat with the support of our hands, then standing her in a sling made of a small canvas shopping bag with a cut out for her legs, head and a “poop chute.” We put her through physical therapy every 3 hours. The work began paying off and shortly after we started noticing attempts to stand on her own! The first time we witnessed it my staff and I stood around the table with tears in our eyes hugging each other and praising her miraculous efforts. We had all been rooting for her and were hoping to see some glimmer of a chance that she might walk again. This was it.
Today she is not only standing on her own, with wings spread to help her balance, but she is also taking a few steps with each attempt. And now she hangs out with her rooster friend Phillip who is recovering from surgery to correct a slipped tendon. They’re great for each other – when one stands the other stands and Hetty finds comfort hiding under Phillip’s wing as she would do with her mother. Sweet Hetty is on the mend.
You might well be asking yourself at this point, “All this trouble for a chicken?” Hours spent treating her injuries, vet bills for x-rays, cleaning her soft towel bedding several times a day, Well, the answer is, “Yes.” Hetty’s life matters to her just as much as ours to us. And as breed created for her superior egg-laying characteristics but not “meaty” enough for meat, there is a double-whammy; for every female sold at the hatchery, a male is destroyed on the spot. So 380,000,000 male chicks every year in the US alone are killed so that we have a plentiful supply of laying hens. And the life of a “layer” is about the worst you could imagine.
Our philosophy is pretty much in line with that of the author and feminist Alice Walker “The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men.” It’s time we question our our self-appointment dominion over the animal kingdom and make every effort to break bad cultural habits namely, that of eating them. And when people say “but we’ve been eating meat for thousands of years” tell them that we were slave-owners for most of our existence as a species too. For thousands of years women and children were treated as property–but of course that didn’t make it right. Just because we’ve been doing something bad or oppressive for a long time doesn’t justify our continuing to do it.
Our dear friends at WFAS have a big goal to reach by the end of the month and we really want to help cause we LOVE animals! It takes hundreds of thousands of dollars to run their sanctuary. But thanks to the incredible generosity of an anonymous donor, your June donation to the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary can go twice as far right now!
The donor has graciously come forward with an amazing gift offer to WFAS. For every dollar raised they will personally match it (dollar for dollar) up to $50,000! All donations raised will go towards WFAS rescue efforts and the care of their many animal residents. Nothing is too small. Make some goats, cows, chickens (like Henny!), sheep, a duck, pigs and bunnies smile today. Let’s see how much we can raise crazy sexy style, oh yeah! Read more…
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