Today we went to Lancefield, Victoria, to visit a very special farm. Edgar's Mission is a sanctuary that rescues homeless, abused, injured or abandoned animals and gives them the opportunity to live a happy life in the peaceful and beautiful environment of the Macedon Ranges. The sanctuary promotes respect and compassion for all living beings, especially non-human animals.
Our first encounter was with roosters and hens. It was the opportunity for me to rediscover how beautiful and colorful these animals can be, so different from the ones you see in battery cages or livestock farms. This rooster was a big attraction and seemed quite proud of his feathers.
The following stop was to play with these very cute baby goats.
But there was a naughty one! He enjoyed jumping on visitors' backs to chew their hair. I don't know how he managed to jump so high, but check out what he was capable of.
At Edgar's Mission pigs can enjoy great facilities, including showers, scratching brushes, straw beds and plenty of shade. No wonder the pigs' wing is known as "Piggy Paradise".
And they seem to enjoy it a lot!
I don't know if you've ever been sniffed by a pig, but this was my first time! Apparently this is their way of welcoming guests and introducing themselves.
Older goats were very friendly with us as well, I guess it's because of the small gift we had for them...
For the same reason sheep were also very excited to see us! All of a sudden we were surrounded by dozens of sheep hoping to get some weetbix. I had never touched the wool of the sheep before and this was my my chance to stroke many of them at the same time.
Unfortunately the sheep were the last inhabitants of Edgar's Mission we met. We were so sad to leave them!
The last thoughts of the day were about our responsibility for our actions and the impact they have on other living beings. I find quite encouraging that each individual can have an immediate impact on animals' lives by deciding to stop exploiting them.
By the way, Edgar was a real pig!
