[Opinion] It is important to support animal sanctuaries

Visitors+can+get+up+close+to+wild+horses+at+the+Black+Hills+Wild+Horse+Sanctuary+in+Hot+Springs%2C+South+Dakota.+Photo+courtesy+of+Josh+Noel%2FChicago+Tribune%2FMCT

Tribune News Service

Visitors can get up close to wild horses at the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary in Hot Springs, South Dakota. Photo courtesy of Josh Noel/Chicago Tribune/MCT

Madison Friedman, Writer

With the terrible conditions of abuse some animals are being put through in recent years, animal sanctuaries have become popping up and are something more people need to be aware about.

Animal sanctuaries are different from any regular animal rescue or farm. At sanctuaries an animal’s purpose is to live the remainder of their life resting and receiving the love and care they deserve that they did not receive before. On the other hand, rescue centers put animals into foster programs with the hope of one day getting adopted and farms use animals as goods for milk, meat, and eggs.

Animal sanctuaries are a place where animals in distress or living in poor environments go to receive care and live the rest of their life peacefully. They can be specific to a certain animal species as well as have a mix of multiple animal species.

Some of the most popular animal sanctuaries include Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah, Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary in Georgia, Goats Of Anarchy in New Jersey and Arthur’s Acres Animal Sanctuary in New York.

Most sanctuaries are non-profit organizations, which makes them run off of donations. Numerous sanctuaries are popular on social media platforms, like Instagram and Facebook, where they can share photos and videos of animals to receive donations.

The sweet videos of the animals enjoying their life can catch the heart of almost anyone because of how happy they look living in a safe place. Some videos may show the animals eating fruits or enjoying time in the sun.

Animals frequently come to sanctuaries in rough shape, requiring expensive vet visits, which is why donations are so important to these organizations. Animals get transported to these places when they are found living in terrible conditions.

These animals could be in rough shape due to a multitude of reasons, like owner ignorance. Some people buy an animal as a joke and then do not know what to do with it after it’s grown up.

Uninformed people also give their pets incorrect nutrients because they are unfamiliar with their pet species, which can be very harmful. Organization runners make sure to preach proper care for animals and awareness of the type of pets you adopt.

Sometimes sanctuaries have to unfortunately turn some animals away due to limited room or lack of financial support. Therefore, it is important to advocate for supporting animal sanctuaries to save these animals.

Supporting animal sanctuaries can be very easy yet is not talked about enough. Simply sharing a post, tagging a friend or volunteering can help these organizations and it costs nothing. These sanctuaries are creating safe environments for animals everyday and we need to support them.