Help Big V Sanctuary in France stay open during the lockdown!

Big V, a sanctuary in France caring for over 160 rescued animals, is in urgent need of donations to keep the animals fed during lockdown. Can you help?

I'm Kerri, a volunteer at Big V. I have been here a week and am just getting into the flow of life at the Sanctuary, one where the neighbours abuse the family daily, throw rubbish into the gardens, try to let the animals out then call the police, register noise complaints, scream and swear at the children, turn off the water supply - the Sanctuary is hated here, because in the surrounding area, animals are thought of as nothing more than produce and profit, so here is where the Sanctuary is needed the most.

Our days start at 5am. On a normal day, without a volunteer, founder Miranda is up hours earlier and finishes in the evening, only to then homeschool the children, cook, clean, and wake up multiple times during the night to check the animals are safe. Last night there was an intruder, someone trying to let the cows out - this is not an uncommon occurence.

Due to the current lockdown, the Sanctuary needs to buy 2 months of food in advance, which costs ‎€5000. Any donation will be utilised to keep the beings here fed. Please do give whatever you can and help support the Sanctuary by sharing this page with your family, friends, colleagues - this region is no friend to animal rights so we must look further for allies. Here's a bit about the Sanctuary...

About Big V Sanctuary

Big V Sanctuary was founded in 2011 and is a registered non-profit association located in Châteauponsac, France. It is run by a family headed up by Miranda and Jerome. They rescue farmed animals and offer them care, love and peace at the sanctuary, while treating them with dignity and respect for the individual characters that they are.

Animals are nursed back to health as many of them are former victims of abuse and neglect. In some cases, Big V are able to place them in loving forever homes and in other cases they spend the rest of their lives in the caring arms of the sanctuary. Big V also offer sanctuary to companion animals enabling them to recover from mistreatment and then find loving foster homes where they can safely spend their remaining years.

"Our aim is to provide for each individual a safe and loving environment in which they can live out a long and fulfilling life, whilst experiencing care and compassion towards their needs, to treat them as we would wish to be treated and to be pain-free and calm when the time comes naturally for them to exit this world", says Miranda.

"We strive to offer an environment which allows people to connect with the animals and recognise them as sentient individuals who deserve to be treated with respect and kindness. We invite people to spend time with us, help us and work alongside us in order to understand and appreciate the commitment of becoming an animal guardian."

"We advocate animal rights within all aspects of our lives and extend invitations to eat with us at the sanctuary. Our goal here is to advance veganism and encourage others to appreciate that all life is precious. We are active animal advocates who fight for animal rights in conjunction with other social justice movements."

Donations urgently needed

Donations are slow here, partly due to the role animals largely play in this area of France, and partly due to the coronavirus. Because ending human supremacy over animals is so important to Miranda, she will occasionally have to omit a meal of her own to pay for the animals' food, and to pay for volunteers to stay, which is a service very much needed - Miranda's usual work day starts at 4am and ends well after 11pm.

If you can give anything to help this sanctuary stay open during this difficult time and help the animals receive the care they so desperately rely on, please do donate. If you're interested in volunteering, click here to get in touch.