Of the day I visited an animal sanctuary
Last Sunday I volunteered at an animal sanctuary. I had begun collaborating with them taking pictures of their events in the previous weeks, but I had never had the chance to visit. I jumped on a car with three other volunteers and headed there in the morning.
After about an hour on the road, I spotted a truck carrying pigs. When I later saw the pigs that live in the sanctuary, I couldn’t help thinking I had left a backwards world behind, a world that belonged in the past. There I was, in heaven, a heaven built upon sweat and tears. The faces of some of the animals spoke to me of a traumatic past. Their eyes were so wise. I think that’s the most accurate way to describe them. They were full of wisdom, as if they had witnessed something we wouldn’t be able to comprehend. There was a certain calmness about them, and I could see they fully trusted us. That’s one of the things that amaze me the most. How these animals who have gone through hell are able to forgive and trust humans again.
But then I understood. I met the founder of the sanctuary, Elena, the sweetest, most warm-hearted person I’ve ever met. When we got there, one of the dogs had just died. He was sick and old. She was devastated, and when I first saw her, she was crying. But in her sorrow, she managed to smile at me and said “hola bonita”. Later in the day she apologized for receiving me in tears. I still can’t believe she’s real. After meeting her, I was no longer surprised those animals had learned to trust again.
Working in a sanctuary isn’t easy. It takes strength, both physical and mental. It’s stressful, it’s painful, it’s demanding, it’s a constant struggle. For its founders, it means giving up their previous life completely. You live for it. You live for them.
But all the people I know who are dedicating their lives to these projects have no regrets, and I think I know why. The answer seems obvious when you take a look around you and your gaze meets theirs. The wise ones, the innocent, the mischievous, even the most fearful. They all have one thing in common: they seem grateful. And when you see them alive when their fate was death, when you see them happy after so much misery, you know you would do anything to preserve that small piece of heaven. Because it’s all they have.
You can see some of the pictures I took here.
You can visit the sanctuary website here.
