Bearing Witness to Death at a Sanctuary
Animal Stories from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Eden Farm Animal Sanctuary
April 2015

We are left with beautiful memories of their lives and characters: Verona hopping onto the shoulder of whoever cleaned her house or arching her body as near as possible to her neighbour Razzle’s enclosure in the hope of getting some of his food; Geraldine running straight from her bed to swim in the icy pond on winter mornings; Miriam running excitedly across her sanctuary room to greet us as we approached her gate; and that Petra pressing her little body to the ground in anticipation of a hug.

As Spring gets warmer and more summer like, life at Eden is tinged with a mixture of hope and sorrow: hope for the lives of our new residents, yet tinged with sadness as we bear witness to the loss of precious lives.

It has been very difficult to reconcile the memories of the personality and personhood of residents like Geraldine, Flo, Verona, Petra, Miriam and our brief visitor, Realtin, with their deaths. They were all nursed intensively throughout the winter and spring months but they did not survive.

We are left with beautiful memories of their lives and characters: Verona hopping onto the shoulder of whoever cleaned her house or arching her body as near as possible to her neighbour Razzle’s enclosure in the hope of getting some of his food; Geraldine running straight from her bed to swim in the icy pond on winter mornings; Miriam running excitedly across her sanctuary room to greet us as we approached her gate; and that Petra pressing her little body to the ground in anticipation of a hug. Realtin spent just a few days at Eden, having been given to us when she was accidentally locked into a kitchen and attacked by dogs where she lived.

Each of them died years before the natural lifespan of a duck or hen from injury or illness directly attributable to human use. What matters is not how we treat them, but that we use them at all.

Eden sanctuary
Geraldine at the pond after a swim

Geraldine at the pond after a swim Geraldine at the pond after a swim Geraldine did not manage to recover from her joint injuries. These injuries are very common in ducks who are bred for their eggs, and also bred to be very heavy for the meat industry.

Eden sanctuary
Verona exploring a volunteer's boots

Verona lived indoors with us for weeks before her death. For a while it looked as if she would follow in Alice’s footsteps and manage to enjoy one more summer. Sadly, that was not to be and her life has now ended. Of all the recent deaths Verona’s is the most difficult to face. Everyone who met her recognised her individuality and strength of character. Volunteers and visitors all loved her exceptionally curious and friendly nature and the excited, trusting way in which she broke right through the species barrier, never imagining that any human had less than her best wishes and her every desire at heart. Bless her innocence.

Eden sanctuary
Photos courtesy of Roisin Ni Mhaonaigh Miriam (12)

Readers will recall that Miriam was being treated for symptoms of ovarian cancer. She stayed with us for as long as her quality of life was good and she was able to live outdoors until the day before her death. She was euthanized and died peacefully. It is important to remember that it is not just factory farming or cages that cause suffering to other animals. Miriam was never confined to a cage; she was bred into this life for her appearance and for her eggs. That was enough to kill her. It is because of people like Miriam that Eden promotes vegan abolitionism.

Eden sanctuary
Alex with Flo shortly after her arrival at Eden

Flo put up a tremendous battle to stay alive with symptoms indicative of Marek’s disease, a form of cancer that is highly prevalent in egg laying hens. She, along with all four hens who arrived at Eden from another sanctuary, had been originally been used by the egg industry, trapped in enriched battery cages. They came to Eden in the late summer of 2012. Three years later all their lives have ended. Flo struggled with Marek’s disease for several weeks. Although she could not eat or drink by herself, or take more than a few steps, unusually she tolerated syringe feeding and was in very good form until the last 24 hours of her life. She suddenly became weak and was euthanized by our vet. Euthanasia is not always easy for hens but Flo died very peacefully. Her tolerance of weeks of intensive nursing and her desire to stay alive is testament to the deep longing of every hen bred into the egg industry to overcome our violation of them and live long, autonomous lives like their wild counterparts.


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