Walk for Farm Animals: Compassion for All

Meet the Walk's Animal Ambassadors

Apollo

Apollo and 37 other tiny peeps appeared on Farm Sanctuary’s doorstep in 2007, bearing the telltale signs of factory-farm abuse. When they arrived as frail poults, they already had the tips of their toes amputated, their snoods torn off, and they had been severely de-beaked through inhumane procedures which mutilate animals to suit the factory farm environment. Apollo will never regrow his full beak which will forever affect his ability to eat, and his toes will always be too short so he will never be able to perch. Luckily, this turkey has caretakers to keep him warm and safe. Apollo loves people, he enjoys wooing visitors at our New York shelter, having his feathers stroked, and enjoying life free from the abuse he would have endured on a factory farm.

Blitzen

Blitzen and his two friends, Lawrence and Alexander, were rescued as calves from brutal conditions at a stockyard. One of the calves was “a downer” – too sick to even stand – and his suffering was ignored by the stockyard staff for hours. The other two were tormented by workers for their tiny size and mocked for their obvious distress. When they failed to sell, the calves were callously thrown away. Blitzen, the smallest baby, came to Farm Sanctuary with low protein levels, pneumonia, and in need of a plasma transfusion. Luckily, Blitzen is on the mend and will never again know such cruelty. He and his pals now spend their days with our New York shelter’s older, special-needs herd, where they are mothered by dairy cows who were never permitted to keep their own babies.

Nikki

Nikki was a sow on a factory farm in Iowa when rising floodwaters of the Mississippi River devastated the region in 2008. After escaping, she gave birth while stranded on a levee. Nikki risked her own life to remain with her babies, ensuring they were kept alive. Thankfully, a Farm Sanctuary rescue team discovered the courageous mother. She and her family were brought to our New York Shelter, where she continues to keep a watchful eye on her children. Each night, Nikki builds a straw nest so that the family can sleep together. Unlike other mothers trapped in factory farms, this former gestation sow is able to raise her children and spend the rest of her life with them.

Georgia

Georgia was rescued from a “cage-free” egg farm in 2010. Found with leg bands painfully embedded in her skin and a type of tumor normally fatal to hens, Georgia would not have survived for much longer. She underwent surgery that saved her life. This tough hen made it through her trials and was welcomed home to our California Shelter. She now enjoys normal chicken activities, such as dust bathing and dirt scratching, which were previously denied to her. Though still plagued by a limp from the too-tight bands, Georgia enjoys her life in sunny California!

Ian

Ian was the victim of extreme negligence and cruelty. This ram was left tied up in the back of a pickup truck on a blistering 90-degree day while his plight was ignored by his “owners.” Law enforcement officers luckily responded to Ian’s obvious distress. He was rescued and made his way to Farm Sanctuary, while the reckless driver and passenger of the truck were arrested. A gentle giant, Ian has won the affection of several members in the flock, and he enjoys spending his days grazing in the pasture and napping in the sun.

Eva

Eva and several other ducklings were found discarded at a foie gras facility. With livers considered too veiny to produce quality foie gras, female ducklings are usually gassed immediately after they hatch. Eva and her friends survived their attempted executions only to be dumped in the trash. Fortunately, the ducklings were discovered during a Farm Sanctuary undercover investigation. Eva and her best friend, Julep, have stuck together since they were found abandoned. They also carouse with Prince Edward, another duckling discovered in the trash who was actually thrown out because he was improperly sexed as female. The trio spends hours together swimming, eating grass, and sunbathing at Farm Sanctuary’s New York Shelter.