After becoming a vegetarian this year, I was very excited to hear about Serenity Springs Animal Sanctuary. I was eager to learn more about the organization the day that the sanctuary was mentioned in class. After class, I immediately got on my computer, checked out their website, and emailed the lady who runs the sanctuary. A few days later, on Saturday April 23rd, we were there. "We" being me, as well as 2 other students from class, and 2 other friends of mine. We left Denton around 10:30 am, and arrived at serenity springs around 11:45 am. I had decided my objective was "to expose myself to the life that free animals can have, to fully understand the capability for love to be shown to all types of animals, to distinguish further how I believe animals should be treated (as property, or persons?), to learn to take active part in things that I believe in, and to apply these principles to other objectives in my life." The trip to the sanctuary was extremely impacting, and I believe my objective has been achieved: I can't wait to return to Serenity Springs to volunteer again.
The tour of the property was amazing. I had never seen pigs like these before. Potbellied pigs are so adorable! I didn't even know there were so many kinds of pigs! They all had such unique personalities. One of the most memorable moments of the tour, was when Terry got a pig to sit for a cookie. Just like a dog! Pigs can be trained to do tricks?! To my surprise, pigs are extremely intelligent. This memory is now a staple of my vegetarianism. I can't believe I used to eat pigs! Terry said that they are as smart as 2 year olds! I like how Mason and Finelli state in "Brave New Farm?", "The animal factory pulls our society one long, dark step backward from the desirable goal of a sane ethical relationship with the natural world and our fellow inhabitants"(159). Serenity springs animal sanctuary is a small way of stepping forward. I believe that Terry has an ethical relationship with the abused animals, and have decided that this is my view of where our relationship with animals should stand. If we can do anything to stop torture to our fellow earthlings, we should help them because we, ourselves, would want to be helped.
Francione might argue that Serenity Springs is still keeping the animals as property, but at the same time, I argue that Serenity Springs is healing the animals and working towards their recovery. Saving, rather than killing the animals. This is recognizing a very important component of Francione's argument. "Although there may be many differences between humans and animals, there is at least one important similarity that we all already recognize: our shared capacity to suffer. In this sense, humans and animals are similar to each other and different from everything else in the universe that is not sentient"(121 Property or Persons). This was very clearly illustrated to me when we were on our tour, and one of the potbellied pigs got one of his tusks stuck in the fence. His wailing, screaming, crying... is something that I can still remember very vividly. The sound made me want to cry, to help, to do something to stop the pig's pain. Clearly, it was hurting him very badly. He was trying to escape from the fence, but no matter how much he pulled it just pulled more on his tusk and hurt him even more. Terry took her clippers and went to the rescue. The pig managed to break free right before she could get to him. Another eye opening moment for me. Wow. Pigs really do cry. Pigs really do feel pain... just like we do. I felt like this should have been obvious. They are animals. Why could I never fully see them as sentient before? "Animals are self aware and have interest in their lives" Francione states. Just like we do. Peter Singer agrees in "All Animals are Equal", "If a being suffers, there can be no moral justification for refusing to take that suffering into consideration. No matter what the nature of the being, the principle of equality requires that it's suffering be counted equally with the like suffering... of any other being. If a being is not capable of suffering, or of experiencing enjoyment or happiness, there is nothing to be taken into account"(163). (Francione also discusses the principle of equal consideration in his argument). As well as the suffering component, I don't think that anyone on the trip to Serenity Springs could have denied the happiness expressed by the pigs when being fed, or when simply lying, or rolling around happily in the mud. As Singer believes, We should not discriminate animals by choosing some to love, and others to abuse. We have to stop eating meat and supporting these industries. Serenity Springs Animal Sanctuary is a vegetarian organization.
Helping out was definitely one of the best parts of the trip. We raked up leaves in her yard, and helped to feed the animals. It was nice to just be able to do something for Terry, because she spends all of her time caring for the animals, as if they were all her own children. She has made financial sacrifices, something that many people would not do, in order to save the lives of abused farm animals. I was happy to be able to give her a donation at the end of the day, which Terry mentioned will be used to help pay for veterinary care. As a part of my objective, to learn to take an active part in the things that I believe in, I also promised Terry that I would be coming back to volunteer again next month. I will be returning at the end of May/ beginning of June with a group of friends. The final part of my objective was to "apply these principles to other objectives in my life". I have decided through this transformation of self, that exposing myself to new ideas makes me more able to understand my own feelings, and sharing my own feelings with people who disagree. Not only with vegetarianism, but with other things too. I need to learn to listen to other people's opinions, have experience, knowledge, and action behind my own opinions, and use that as leverage to understand, and share. Taking action in your own opinion, however, is a big part of being able to have opinions. So I have decided to connect this to voting. I am going to work harder on solidifying more of my opinions and values, so that I can give to them and support them politically, and financially.
The experience was so much more than what I can say, or explain. Blind horses, another with a hurt foot, a pig with a broken tongue... I'm so glad that these abused animals are now in good hands, getting help. Serenity Springs Animal Sanctuary represents a rescue that we all have a duty to recognize and take part in as fellow sentient inhabitants of this earth.
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