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| Touchdown in Alicante: view from above! |
Jacob's Ridge Animal Sanctuary was founded in 2011 as a safe haven for animals. With ballooning daily maintenance costs (feed, vet bills, fencing among other unplanned expenses), the volunteer program was born in order to keep all the animals (or residents) in a responsible manner. Their mission is premised upon the belief that "every animal has the right to live and to live without fear", where the Sanctuary creates the safe and supportive forever home environment for the animals who need it. Jacob's Ridge also serves as a sanctuary for humans - it is the hope that the Sanctuary can provide a place where humans can connect with animals, nature and the vegan lifestyle.
I really liked how transparent the Sanctuary is: they are upfront about exactly where your money goes when you either embark on a volunteer program, donate or purchase merchandise. Even more so, when you arrive and get into the swing of things at the Sanctuary it becomes even more obvious how the Sanctuary manages and makes use of funds - everything is done for the animals, which is really heartwarming to see in person.
Volunteering is booked in 1 week instalments - the minimum stay is 1 week, and the maximum stay is 6 months (subject to availability of dates, of course!)
Contact Jacob's Ridge:
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| Pig and Piglets: Tofu, Greta and Graham <3 |
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| The goats! They love being hand-fed <3 |
- Towels for showering
- Towels for the pool
- Sun cream
- Insect repellent
- Toiletries - shampoo, conditioner, soap
- Medications
- Comfortable clothes
- Closed in shoes for working/walking the land
- Ear plugs (not everyone is used to donkeys braying in the middle of the night!)
- Torch (phone torch will do)
- Water bottle
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| Martin sunning himself on the chair outside my tent |
Beware of Martin the cat (pictured left): he's the expert at opening tent zips for a nighttime cuddle and sleep!
Communal Area: shared toilets / shower room, pool, hammock, sun lounges, lounge, Wi-Fi; plus the all the wonderful rescued animals who you can cuddle all day long!
Food: Phenomenal. My photos weren't good due to the lighting but here's a list of the decadent all-vegan dishes I ate -
Daily Schedule:
07:00 - start: morning dog walk and/or morning feed + water
09:00-30 - breakfast: fix your own, range of cereals and toast with peanut butter and/or jam spread available
10:00 - "mucking out": removing poo from all animal 'runs' (enclosures)
12:00 - lunch re-watering for all animals
13:00 - take dogs to a stream (5 mins walk away) to cool off
14:00-30 - lunch: prepared by the chef
15:00 - siesta/free time/odd jobs/excursions/animal cuddle time
19:00 - begin evening feed + water and/or dog walk
21:00-30 - dinner: prepared by the chef
I'll be honest: the work, in my opinion, was exceptionally physically demanding (especially if you're not used to manual labour!). You need, or will build, solid upper body (specifically arm and back) strength carrying buckets of water and lifting them over fences and pouring them in mud-baths, for instance. I had a more unique experience as the only volunteer (aside from the permanent team) for 5 days. The heat and humidity was an additional challenge to battle with as well.
- Roasted chilli eggplant with Couscous
- Tomato and basil spaghetti
- Thai-styled sesame noodles
- Chickpea tuna sandwich
- Sunday roast: lentil pie with roasted carrots, broccoli and beans and the best roasted potatoes I have ever eaten
- Lasagne
- Mac n Cheese
- Pizza (seitan chicken)
- Falafel wraps
- Potatoes with home made BBQ baked beans
- Lots of garlic bread
Daily Schedule:
07:00 - start: morning dog walk and/or morning feed + water
09:00-30 - breakfast: fix your own, range of cereals and toast with peanut butter and/or jam spread available
10:00 - "mucking out": removing poo from all animal 'runs' (enclosures)
12:00 - lunch re-watering for all animals
13:00 - take dogs to a stream (5 mins walk away) to cool off
14:00-30 - lunch: prepared by the chef
15:00 - siesta/free time/odd jobs/excursions/animal cuddle time
19:00 - begin evening feed + water and/or dog walk
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| The boy pigs! <3 |
I'll be honest: the work, in my opinion, was exceptionally physically demanding (especially if you're not used to manual labour!). You need, or will build, solid upper body (specifically arm and back) strength carrying buckets of water and lifting them over fences and pouring them in mud-baths, for instance. I had a more unique experience as the only volunteer (aside from the permanent team) for 5 days. The heat and humidity was an additional challenge to battle with as well.
However: the experience was an insightful one: into the ins and outs of what it means to both run and work in a sanctuary. The vegan community - especially the team - was so lovely, and most of all, just being able to spend time with the animals was so worth it. It was the first time in my life I'd ever seen a donkey and to interact with them - especially Ronny and his hugs (yes they can hug!!) - was the real treasure of volunteering here.
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| Ben (or Benny)! He was originally bred for slaughter as a meat pig but was rescued, and I got to give him two mudbaths! |
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| Marley on a dog walk! |
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| Charlie the Shetland Pony |
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| Excursion: nearby lake! |
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