An environmentally-conscious Port Moody couple will be exchanging their gas-sipping Echo for a heavy-duty truck because they have even bigger worries than their carbon footprint.
Hugo and Sarien Slabbert want to help rescue abandoned and abused farm animals and need something big enough to pull a horse trailer.
“Transportation is really important,” said Sarien, a former event planner who now works with animal rights groups, such as Tri-Cities Animal Save, and recently transported a calf to Kelowna in the family car to save it from slaughter.
There are many reasons farm animals may need to be re-homed, the couple says, divorce and changing life circumstances can result in animals such as pot-bellied pigs needing a new home.
Occasionally, the animals are rescued from the agricultural industry and in the worst cases, animals have to be rescued when the SPCA investigates a horrific case of abuse.
“People take these animals and think they’ll be a great pet,” Sarien said, but when they “grow up and start eating the walls,” the family doesn’t know what to do.
Finding a farm sanctuary is the best solution, but finding a place that will take them, locating transportation and providing for the animal’s upkeep can all be a challenge.
To provide more coordination and support for this growing area of animal advocacy, the Slabberts have formed a non-profit called PEACE (People Ensuring Animal Care Exists).
This group has a board of directors and is organizing a fundraiser in April for resources to support farm sanctuaries, including good deals on food, providing animal care kits to reduce some of the financial burden, and providing transportation and funds for medical bills.
“We want to be the hub to help them,” Hugo explained.
There will also be a listing of places where people can take unwanted farm animals, with up-to-date information about available vacancies and what kind of animals are being accepted.
The couple who moved to Port Moody soon after they were married in 2007 say they became vegan for philosophical, environmental and practical reasons but decided to step-up their activism because of their love for animals and appreciation for farm sanctuaries that help out in times of need.
“We want to take that stress of sanctuaries because they have big hearts and they want to say ‘yes’ but they don’t always have the resources,” Sarien said.
For more information about an upcoming Vegan Tattoo Fundraising Event visit Facebook.
