GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Unloved, abused, and neglected. One woman is on a mission to save unwanted farm animals. Ninety-eight cows, 19 pigs, nine donkeys, three turkeys, and a water buffalo. These are the animals Erin Amerman has rescued since starting her Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary in 2016. Her mission: to get people seeing farm animals in a different light.
Eli and Marley are two of the newest members of Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary, which is a haven for abused and unwanted farm animals. “Cows, horses, donkeys; all kinds of creatures get dumped in the Everglades,” said Erin Amerman, Founder of the Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary. Critter Creek is the brainchild of Erin, who runs the 400 acre sanctuary with her husband Chris. She went from rescuing rats as a young kid to now providing a forever home to cows, pigs, donkeys, horses, and even a water buffalo. “I’m kind of a go big or go home person and I don’t ever go home,” said Erin.
Her mission? To rescue the farm animals that would otherwise be considered useless, such as male calves like Eli who were born in the dairy industry. “So, they are usually sent to the slaughterhouse the day that they are born,” said Erin. Or the pigs. “All these four pigs were supposed to be sent to the gas chamber because they were considered to be too small,” said Erin. “You have all different kinds of pet animal rescues, but donkeys and pigs and cows, and even horses don’t seem to garner the same respect,” said Chris Amerman, Erin’s husband. Erin wants people to see that even though farm animals may not be the cleanest or quietest animals, they still deserve some love.
Although Sanctuary prides itself on the rescue and care of animals, it is also involved in education. They just resumed monthly tours and occasional open houses at the Sanctuary. Critter Creek is mostly self-funded by Chris and Erin, but they do welcome donations. It costs them about $3,000 a month just to feed the cows. To donate, visit www.crittercreekfarmsanctuary.org.
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Contributor(s) to this news report include: Milvionne Chery, Producer; Roque Correa, Videographer and Editor.
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