Cattle Rancher Transforms Farm Into Animal Sanctuary

Canadian cattle farmer Mark Lanigan is transitioning his cattle farm into an animal sanctuary called Farmhouse Garden Animal Home, where farmed animals will be able to live out the rest of their natural lives. The 100-acre property which Lanigan previously used to raise animals for slaughter will now serve as a safe haven for nearly two dozen cows, horses, geese, and a guard donkey named Buckwheat. Lanigan is also using the land to plant vegetables to sell at the local farmers’ market along with maple syrup and lumber. The farmer had a change of heart when caring for a newly born calf. “How hypocritical of me to give something so much love, [when] the end thing is so different from that love,” Lanigan says. The farm is currently raising funds to fully transition into a sanctuary, one that Lanigan hopes will eventually house cows rescued from neighboring farms.