Open Arms and Pastures: Rescue Farms in the Bay Area

December 15, 2021

The value of having a safe space to turn to when faced with trauma is universally appreciated. This is not unique to humans; animals can also reap the emotional and physical benefits of a new home in the face of harmful living conditions.

The chicken coop, located at Alma Bonita Animal Rescue in Morgan Hill, Calif., on Dec. 4. The hens and roosters full of personality at Alma Bonita have been rescued from scenarios such as unaddressed injury and premature death for consumption. (Morgan Ellis / Xpress Magazine)
A detail image showing farm animal care equipment at Alma Bonita Animal Rescue in Morgan Hill, Calif. on Dec. 4. (Morgan Ellis / Xpress Magazine)
] Sheila Murphy, founder of Alma Bonita Animal Rescue, wakes the goats for their morning feeding with the help of her father, Joe in Morgan Hill, Calif. on Dec. 4. Murphy’s father has been a helping hand since Alma Bonita’s start in 2019 with just a few goats. (Morgan Ellis / Xpress Magazine)
Sheila Murphy, founder of Alma Bonita Animal Rescue, cuddles up to her mini-donkey, Mandy, in Morgan Hill, Calif. on Dec. 4. Mandy is extremely receptive to humans and other animals and loves to be pet and scratched. (Morgan Ellis / Xpress Magazine)
Charlie’s Acres Farm Animal Sanctuary in Sonoma County, Calif. on Dec. 10. Founded in 2016, Charlie’s Acres is a nonprofit dedicated to the care and quality of life of rescued farm animals. (Morgan Ellis / Xpress Magazine)
Joyce Koroslev, a caretaker at Sweet Farm, delivers hay for lunch to the animals in Half Moon Bay, Calif. on Nov. 29. “I really just love being around the animals every day and knowing that I’m giving them the best life they could possibly live,” Koroslev said regarding her favorite part of her job. (Morgan Ellis / Xpress Magazine)
Animal residents line up for their lunch at Sweet Farm in Half Moon Bay, Calif. on Nov. 29. The cows were all donated in a fortunate escape from malnourishment and premature death. (Morgan Ellis / Xpress Magazine)
The chicken enclosure at Sweet Farm in Half Moon Bay, Calif. on Nov. 29. Although law permits thousands of chickens in a space of this size, Sweet Farm wants to combat that ideal and give their chickens plenty of personal space to graze and play. (Morgan Ellis / Xpress Magazine)

In the Bay Area, there are rescue farms overflowing with compassion that give animals a new home when they are otherwise likely to lack quality of life, or even die prematurely.

“If an animal comes from a situation where they’ve been abused or neglected, it’s just like a human. They don’t trust anybody at first,” said Sheila Murphy, founder of Alma Bonita Animal Rescue.

Farms such as Alma Bonita in Morgan Hill and Sweet Farm in Half Moon Bay welcome animals from a variety of situations, including animals who were surrendered pets or 4-H projects. A 4-H animal project is when a family loans an animal from places such as slaughter or dairy farms for the participating child to raise. Raising livestock promotes personal growth in the caretaker and teaches them responsibility, according to Penn State’s Department of Animal Science.

Because the animals are loans from bigger companies’ farms, when the child concludes their project, they can return them or pay for what the company is losing in revenue by not having that animal back.

Many families grow attached to the animal that they raise, explains Erik Matousek, a caretaker at Sweet Farm. They bring them to rescues once their project is done so that they know the animal will live out the rest of their life in peace.

The relationships that grow between the animals and their caretakers are symbiotic. Just as much as the people working on the farms are able to provide sustenance and love to their animals, the process of rehabilitating and forming connections with them is similarly beneficial to the human.

“We have a heart relationship. I can walk up to almost any animal here and just feel what they’re feeling, and it’s taught me to slow down,” Murphy said.