The microsanctuary model offers an accessible way for vegans to provide sanctuary to rescued animals who aren’t typically seen as companions, such as farmed animals, rodents, and aquatic species. Microsanctuaries focus on using your existing resources and abilities to create sanctuary on a small, sustainable scale.
But you might be asking: I’m interested…but how do I get started?
Here are some tips to begin your microsanctuary activism!
IDENTIFY YOUR CAPACITY, RESOURCES,
AND INTERESTS
* What is your capacity to provide lifetime care, including: financial, time & energy, and emotional?
* Are you interested in rescuing a particular species based on your experience, interests, and/or passions?
* What are the expected care costs for the animals you plan to rescue, and how will they fit in your budget?
* What living space needs will your residents have, and how can you accommodate them in your current situation?
IDENTIFY LOCAL RESTRICTIONS AND RESOURCES
* What limitations exist on the types or numbers of animals you could possibly provide a home to, including: city/county ordinances, HOA restrictions, and lease agreements?
* Are there experienced veterinarians in your area who will be able to provide routine and emergency care for your animals? If not, how far away is the nearest vet, and is travel realistic for you?
*Are there existing rescue groups, sanctuaries, or volunteer networks who might be able to offer support?
MAKE A PLAN
You may be ready to jump into microsanctuary caregiving and know already which animals you want to rescue, how many you can care for, and what they’ll need. But before you get started, it’s also helpful to think about what you want your microsanctuary to be and how it will operate over time.
* Do you want to remain a private microsanctuary, or do you want to pursue 501c3 tax-exempt nonprofit status?
* Will you be able to handle caregiving yourself, or will you seek outside help?
* Do you have a support network for emergency or other backup if needed?
What is your contingency plan if something happens to you and you’re unable to care for your residents?
ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?
While some people can successfully learn about the care needs of a species or individual animal after rescue, it’s best practice to get some firsthand experience with caregiving beforehand. This will help you understand what sort of daily and ongoing care needs they have (food & water, housing, socialization, enrichment, medical care, etc.), how they communicate with you and others, what to do when they need medical attention, and more.
It’s ideal to get care experience with the species you plan to rescue, though having some kind of animal caregiving experience is much better than having none at all.
To get familiar with caregiving, look for sanctuaries, rescue groups, and even animal shelters in your area who offer volunteer opportunities. It can also be helpful to network with other vegan caregivers, such as in sanctuary-related discussion groups and/or species-specific communities like Vegans with Chickens on Facebook.
RESEARCH THE BEST CARE PRACTICES
FOR YOUR SPECIES
The internet is flooded with terrible, even horrific “advice” on how to care for farmed animals and other exploited species. It’s important to go beyond basic hands-on experience by researching the latest best practices for routine caregiving and medical care for your animals.
Luckily, resources like The Open Sanctuary Project (OSP) are available to provide a broad range of information for caregivers. We highly recommend OSP as a starting place for expanding your knowledge: along with standalone resources on specific care topics, they also offer extensive Care Courses on different species.
WHERE DO I RESCUE?
When you’re ready to rescue, you might wonder where you can find farmed animals, ex-laboratory animals, and other uncommon species in need of homes. Here are a few suggestions of places to look:
County/city animal shelters: Shelters frequently take in surrendered or stray animals from many different species, not just cats and dogs. Available animals will usually be listed on the shelter websites and/or social media.
Local rescue groups & sanctuaries: Sanctuaries frequently provide placement for animals needing homes when they don’t have space, or will have some animals available for adoption. Similarly, local rescue groups may offer adoption for a range of animal species.
Rescue networks: You can find a variety of rescue networks on social media that try to find homes for animals across a broad geographic range.
Classifieds sites: Although we don’t recommend sites like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace for rescue, they and other classifieds sites typically have unwanted animals being given away.
STAY CONNECTED
Once you rescue and begin your microsanctuary journey, be sure to stay connected to other rescuers, microsanctuaries, and large sanctuaries.
You can reach out directly to make connections or join social media communities to interact with other caregivers. The goal should be to find a positive, supportive community that seeks to uplift caregivers and provide a shared knowledge base of best practices.
You can also connect with your local community and the world by sharing the stories of your residents and educating the public about the importance of going vegan to help end animal exploitation. Although outreach may be challenging if you’ve never done it before, even just sharing the stories of your residents can be an accessible way to advocate for a better world for animals.
RESOURCES
We hope this brief introduction to starting a microsanctuary is helpful if you’re thinking about caregiving.
For more in-depth information and resources, be sure to visit The Open Sanctuary Project website.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to us as well! We believe that growing the microsanctuary community is an important part of the larger fight for animal liberation!