VINE Sanctuary News

Welcome to the first VINE Newsletter of 2014!

As part of our planning for the coming year, we made a list of the things that make VINE unique among farmed animal sanctuaries. Wow -- it turns out to be a lot! We also realized that we have some questions for you, to help us make this newsletter more interesting and valuable to you.

So... Here's our list of what makes VINE more than a little bit different. After the list, you'll find a link to an online survey, which we hope you will do us the favor of completing.

Rooster Rehab

VINE Sanctuary, in its earlier incarnation as Eastern Shore Sanctuary, was the first to figure out how to rehabilitate roosters confiscated from cockfights. Other sanctuaries have since embraced our methods, but we are still the only sanctuary that routinely rescues and rehabilitates roosters used in cockfighting.

Queering Animal Liberation
VINE Sanctuary was founded by lesbians and is still LGBTQ-run. All of us living on site are lesbian, bi, or trans, and we count LGBTQ folks of all varieties among our volunteers and supporters. More important than our own "queer" identities, we have been at the forefront of the emerging effort to discover and uncover the linkages between the exploitation of animals and the oppression of LGBTQ people. In so doing, we are helping to build bridges between the animal liberation and LGBTQ rights movements.

Green Pastures -- and Barns
Everything we do at our solar-powered sanctuary demonstrates our conviction that "green means vegan" and that "vegan means green." On site, we are as "freegan" as possible, building with salvaged materials, constructing ramps and shelters with recycled lumber, and "upcycling" found items into useful objects such as planters and feeders. We buy locally-grown hay and bird feed. On-site gardens and fruit trees feed human and nonhuman residents alike. Off site, we work hard to promote veganism among environmentalists and vice versa.

An Ecofeminist Animal Sanctuary
As feminists, we have always been alert to gendered exploitation of animals such as cockfighting, "dairy" and egg production, and the forced reproduction upon which all uses of animals depend. As ecofeminists, we work within an "ethos of care" and see ourselves not as heroic saviors or "the voice of the voiceless" but, rather, as allies of animals who have their own voices and whose rights to freedom and self-determination must be respected. Adult sanctuary residents are allowed every opportunity possible to make their own decisions and are handled by humans only if they have sought that contact or it is necessary for veterinary treatment.

Interspecies Cooperation
Denizens of VINE Sanctuary often exercise the freedom of association by choosing companions of other species. Unlike other sanctuaries, VINE does not segregate animals by species. Thus, we have a gaggle of "peace-keeping geese" who remind rehabilitated roosters not to fight. In the winter, several sheep willingly give rides to roosters who prefer not to walk in the snow. Ducks sometimes "adopt" juvenile chickens, and Buddy the cow welcomes every newcomer "up the hill," paying especial attention to anybody who might be lonely.

Promoting Plant-Based Agriculture
VINE began as a small chicken sanctuary surrounded by factory farms in a rural region dominated by the poultry industry. We now care for cows and sheep (as well as chickens and a wide variety of other birds) in a rural region in which "dairy" and wool are dominant agricultural products. Nearly alone among farmed animal sanctuaries and demand-side proponents of veganism, we have worked on the essential project of mapping out the means by which rural communities now dominated and despoiled by animal agriculture might be transformed into equitable and sustainable plant-based agricultural economies. We also sponsor community gardens and promote veganic gardening projects of all varieties.

Going Beyond "Go Vegan"
The cofounders of VINE Sanctuary brought decades of activist experience and academic study of social change to the project of animal liberation. We know that the kind of worldwide social and economic changes that will be necessary to liberate animals will require concerted pursuit of a suite of strategies by means of a diversity of tactics. Since 2001, we have sought to improve the efficacy of animal advocacy by promoting strategic thinking, sharing conceptual tools, and cultivating the habits of cooperation, reflection, rigor, and care among animal advocates.

Making Connections
Founded by social justice activists, VINE Sanctuary understands the conjunctions among animal exploitation, social injustice, and environmental despoliation. We also know the vital value of coalitions among activists and across movements. We have worked hard to build bridges both by organizing collective efforts and by taking on the often thankless task of prompting activists of all varieties to think about forms of oppression they might prefer to ignore. Whether or not we live to see it, we know that the reward for such work will be a worldwide movement for the liberation of everybody.

And You?

That's us. Now we need to know a bit about you and, more importantly, what you'd like to see when this newsletter hits your inbox every other week.
Click here
to take our survey.