Jace Brewer, left, and Charlene Di Maria are pictured with a pig and a goat that were recently rescued from a slaughterhouse.
Jace Brewer, left, and Charlene Di Maria are pictured with a pig and a goat that were recently rescued from a slaughterhouse.
Do you remember the film “The Food of the Gods”? The plot revolved around a farmer who lived on a remote island where this mysterious liquid seeped up from the ground. Thinking it was manna from heaven, he fed it to his chickens, which grew larger than humans. (I won’t give any more spoilers in case you decide to stream it on Roku.)
I had a similar experience the first time I visited Funny Farm Animal Sanctuary in Blackfoot. I was blown away by Charlie, a 3-year-old rescued cow who tipped the scales at nearly 5,000 pounds and towered over his barn mates at 6 feet tall! Most cows raised for beef are slaughtered at around 1,200 pounds, and pigs are killed at about 6 months of age and 275 pounds. Bebee the pig, rescued on her way to the butcher, weighed in at a whopping 700 pounds.
Charlene Di Maria and Jace Brewer created the sanctuary in 2019. Having always had a soft spot for animals, they watched the movie “Earthlings” (available online at nationearth.com). The film graphically depicts the horrific realities of factory farming in America. Charlene and Jace were so moved by what they saw that they knew they had to act.
For nearly four years, the couple has rescued countless animals from abuse and certain death. Pipsqueak, a piglet, came to live with Charlene and Jace in 2019. She was paralyzed after being forced to endure a cruel and inhumane “game” where she had been smeared with grease and set free only to be chased by contestants trying to catch her. Most recently, two farm animals were rescued from a slaughterhouse. One is a goat, Petunia, who had been overrun with parasites, and the other a pig named Lucky who came to the sanctuary terrified and covered in scars. Thankfully, both are now thriving and living at the sanctuary along with 44 other farm animals. However, without generous and kind-hearted people like Charlene and Jace, these animals would have had nowhere to go. If you would like to support the important work at Funny Animal Sanctuary, visit their Facebook page. Every dollar matters, and all donations are tax deductible.
Only 1 percent of animals raised for food in this country have the luxury of living out their lives on family-owned farms like Charlene’s and Jace’s, where cows, pigs, chickens, goats, sheep and turkeys are allowed to express their natural behaviors. The rest are doomed to cruel and agonizing existences, confined in tiny spaces barely larger than their own bodies. If you are interested in joining me and taking a stand against factory farming, please email me at reduceanimalsuffering@gmail.com. I would love to join forces with like-minded individuals interested in farm animal advocacy. There is so much we can do to send a strong message and demand action from our state and federal politicians. I would also love to get to know others on the plant-based eating journey to share recipes and provide support and encouragement. Even if you are looking at just reducing your intake of meat, egg and dairy products, drop me an email, and let’s join forces and learn from each other!
Chris Lenihan has lived in Pocatello for many years. A retired teacher, she is now a full-time advocate for factory-farmed chickens and other animals. She is pictured with her “spokes-chicken,” Chuck.
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