It's safe to say that we never envisioned our lives panning out this way, but now that we find ourselves in the midst of animal rescue, mystery, mayhem, and delight, we wouldn't change a thing Well maybe there are a couple of tweaks we would make if a time machine presented itself.
We are Angie and Jem, the founders of Shear Existence Sanctuary, but to say that we alone manifested and brought forth this place of refuge for formerly farmed animals wouldn’t be accurate. On the 18th of May 2019 a sweet little 4 week old Lamb, with a tail so long it's been suggested that perhaps he has a place in the Guinness World Records, bounced into our lives, spinning our world completely on its axis, powerfully and irrevocably changing the trajectory of our future.
Snowy’s journey into this world was not an easy one. Born one of twins on Easter Sunday 2019, it was bitterly cold, windy and there had been a deluge of rain all day. Greeted by a doting mother who cleaned and cared for him, although try as he might, the little baby boy was unable to stand. Little lambs who can’t stand usually face a zero percent chance of survival and devastatingly, his passing would have meant that he joined over 15 million Lambs who perish due to birth complications and exposure in Australia alone every year. Thankfully a guardian angel appeared and his destiny was altered forever.
For 4 weeks she fed, loved and doted on Snowy around the clock, performing daily physio and working hard with this sweet little lamb to bring his legs to life. Before long he was walking, and then walking turned into zooming, until one day he was just too big for her unit and he was ready for a new forever home. The day he arrived, without even knowing it, Snowy joined forces with us to create Shear Existence Sanctuary. He shone a light onto the plight of farmed animals and inspired us into action.
Since then the Sanctuary has grown profoundly, as has dear Snowy. While he has taken on a very important role as leader of the main flock, the sanctuary itself has expanded exponentially. In addition to Sheep, Shear Existence is now a safe forever home to Goats, Cows, Chickens, Turkeys and Quail who have all found their way free from the dire fate humans have imposed on animals classified as livestock by our society. We also share our lives with our rescued companion Dog, Cats and Guinea Pigs.
Most recently we have established a program dedicated to the advocacy and rehoming of hens rescued from intensive factory farming called ‘This Particular Hen’. It’s our mission to raise awareness of the individuality, personhood and unfathomable suffering Chickens endure especially in factory farms; After a horrific life, at the young age of 18 months old, egg laying hens are culled to make way for younger and more ‘productive’ hens, whereas every male chick born loses their lives instantly after birth. After living a life so void of any quality, we endeavour to secure as many ladies as possible a happy and bright future in truly loving homes and show the world why Chickens are so wonderful.
A lot has gone down since that little Lamb bounced into our lives and hearts, and there is still much work to be done. As it stands we don’t own our own property, so our greatest goal is to secure a wonderful forever home where we can lay down deep and healthy roots. Despite the hurdles that lay between us and our goal, we have our sights and efforts firmly set on acquiring our own little magical patch in which we can provide the Shear Existence crew a secure forever space to enjoy their days free of worry.
For now we continue dedicating our biggest and best efforts to creating a kinder and more compassionate world for all, regardless of species. We devote our lives to the animals and our passion and efforts into sharing just how unique, life loving, and deserving they all are. While ever our collective humanity views Animals as commodifiable objects, we have work to do!
It goes without saying that we could never have made it this far without oodles of support. To anyone who has ever donated, and shared our mission to change the world for animals, thank-you just doesn’t cut it; you have made such a difference and we feel the deep impact of your kindness and generosity!
We also couldn’t sign off without acknowledging the emotional support, knowledge, resource-sharing and friendship we have been blessed with. We often say that the animals have gifted us some of the best human pals of our lives. A special thanks to Free Spirits Farm Sanctuary, J & D’s Farm Sanctuary and Lamb Care Australia; these guys are such a big part of our lives! We also wanted to shout out a special mention to Melbourne Chicken Rescue and Lefty’s Place for always helping us with the best advice on caring for our feathered friends despite their own very busy rescue lives.
We look forward to sharing more Shear Existence tales (and tails!) with you, until then, let's all spruike the news: Compassion is definitely cool again!
Meet Our Other Animals
From Little Things, Big Things Grow – The Birth of a Sanctuary
Groundhog Day
Moose: the Bobby calf who lived.