We were lucky to catch up with Happy Baa Baa Land recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Happy Baa Baa Land, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Our spiritual mentor stated in her book “Lotus Recollections”:
” Respect all living beings, big and small, and give them the right and space to live.”
“Cherish all lives in their unique existences.”
“Celebrate the joy of living with all lives in harmony.”
Her teaching of loving others as ourselves has deeply influenced all of us, and it has become an important guide for our daily practice. If it weren’t for this belief in respect and love for all living beings, how would it have been possible for us to taste the nectar of joy derived from walking with and caring for our rescued 4-legged friends on a seemingly impossible path?
The story of Happy Baa Baa Land, a sanctuary for rescued goats and sheep, begins with a group of people who share the same belief that all forms of life, big or small, deserve respect and the right to live.
In mid-December 2021, a volunteer from the Bliss and Wisdom Charity Organization (BWCO), Southern California, heard that a nearby farm was closing for good and was going to send its 93 goats and sheep to the slaughterhouse. Upon receiving the news, BWCO immediately sought support from its volunteers to purchase the herd from the farm. Although the farmer deliberately doubled his original price, 86 participants contributed enough funds within 5 hours for the purchase of the animals plus six months’ worth of feeds.
In the following four days, despite the extremely low temperatures and approaching holidays, the volunteers put aside their own plans and worked day and night to build a shelter and a wire-mesh fence to protect the herd from the harsh weather and coyote attacks.
On December 22, 2021, the animals settled into their first true home that was simple but filled with abundant care and love. To the volunteers, this herd was not made up of ordinary creatures. They were family. In order to protect the herd from the coyotes, volunteers worked on a 2-hour shift to patrol the area on the first night. In addition to the coyote threats, the weather posed another challenge to the volunteers. The second day into the herd’s residence, a strong and cold rainstorm hit the area and flooded the shelter. The ground became a muddy pond and their feet all sank into mud. Quickly the volunteers brought in dozens of pallets to create a dry floor for the herd.
In the early morning of 12/26/2021, the rain stopped. Many concerned volunteers gathered at the site to mitigate the flooding issue. They dug trenches to bury water pipes, from morning till dark, and the drainage pipe was completed in one day!
At this point, the first phase of rescue seemed to be finally completed, but a long and rough journey of caring for them until each of them reaches their full lifespan had just begun.
Some of the ewes were pregnant at the time of the rescue. In March 2022, a temporary delivery room was prepared and a nursing and medical team was created to receive the new arrivals. The population of the herd at this point expanded to 130. The demand for care, manpower, and expenses became increasingly challenging. Thus, we began reaching out to other farms and grazing companies, hoping to find adopters for our farm residents.
However, we soon learned a painful truth of how most facilities handled the farm animals that became unproductive, old, or sick – they would be sent to the slaughterhouse. This outcome utterly contradicted our intention to rescue the herd. We believe that our rescue action will not stop at salvation from the slaughter house, but we will stand by them throughout their lives. As all other options closed one by one, the volunteers decided to shoulder the responsibility of caring for this vulnerable herd. Then, the next step was to learn how to take care of them from scratch.
This decision was a difficult one, because we were immediately faced with a string of challenges, including the know-how, money, labor, shelter, medical expenses, etc. More importantly, how could we help them find a new value for their existence?
In the face of very limited resources, we are fortunate to have a group of people who have been wholeheartedly supportive of the endeavors. Volunteers, old and young, took upon themselves various tasks, including cleaning the waste, feeding the animals, feeding the newborn who had no access to their mothers’ milk, fixing the shelter, giving vaccines, researching care tips, fundraising, etc. In addition to these devoted volunteers, our farm was fortunate enough to have found Dr. Kate Moore, a loving mobile vet, who came to safeguard the health of the herd with her expertise. In January 2023, Happy Baa Baa Land was officially established, signifying our promised companionship and support.
By November 2023, the fate of these animals finally ushered in a comprehensive change – from food on the table to heroes protecting life and the environment. BWCO’s sister organization, the Bliss and Wisdom Foundation of Northern California, owns 25 acres of uninhabited hillside land called Peacock Villa. The property is overgrown with weeds and poses a potential threat to wildfires. Due to its rugged terrain, manual vegetation removal is not only costly but also inefficient. So the goats and sheep rescued by BWCO took over the task.
Since Thanksgiving 2023, more than one hundred sheep and goats have been diligently grazing on Peacock Villa’s landscape to prevent wildfires and protect the lives and property of the surrounding community. The remaining 62 sheep and goats, like their firefighting friends, are busy with programs revolving around life and environmental protection, making themselves contributors to the greater good of the communities.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Happy Baa Baa Land is a sanctuary founded by a group of people devoted to the well-being of all walks of life. We believe that charity sets no boundary. That is, we engage in charity ourselves, encourage others to participate, and we also rejoice and support all charity activities by other groups.
Despite all the difficulties we faced – no venue, no funds, and no experience, we chose to move forward without hesitation. “Just do it!” was our motto. We spread the word and extended our sincere invitations to others. As a result, love breeds love. We began to receive support in various ways – donations, volunteer work, words of encouragement, etc.
To promote awareness of animal protection and to share our beliefs and endeavors with the community, HBBL offers a variety of activities periodically, inviting guests to learn more about our farm residents and experience the joy of life through interactions with our gentle and adorable furry friends.
Besides saving the goats and sheep from slaughter, Happy Baa Baa Land’s goal extends to finding value to their very existence. We are happy to say that our goats and sheep have successfully transitioned from their original role of being food on the table to now servicing communities.
While caring for them, we learned that besides their economic value, they have much more to offer to us humans and the environment. For example, both their manure and wool are excellent fertilizers, rich in nitrogen. The wool can also be used for housing and gardening insulation, in addition to many other uses. The animal themselves with their gentle and innocent nature are an excellent healing agent for many. Even more impressively, they can work as environmental stewards. As of November 2023, many of our goats and sheep have joined the fire prevention force to protect the 25-acre Peacock Villa in Northern California.
We sincerely invite everyone to be part of our charity effort. Come visit Happy Baa Baa Land and explore the infinite possibilities of enriching our lives through caring for life.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The volunteers of Happy Baa Baa Land have evolved from having no experience in caring for farm animals to successfully transform the animals’ lives. At its peak, there were 168 goats and sheep under our care. What made the transformation possible can be summed up into three factors. 1. There is a group of like-minded people who work together with one heart and one mind. 2. We firmly believe that if it is important to you, you will find a way. If it is not important to you, you will find excuses. Though challenged by extremely limited resources in money, labor, medical support, and the operation know-how, we ultimately found a way and strode forward. 3. Every contribution count, whether it’s monetary or moral support. Regardless of how you choose to participate, having the heart to support is more precious than anything else.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
“The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment” by Lama Tsongkapa, is the book that binds most of the volunteers together. This book showcases the precious Buddhist wisdom that helps us deal with the many issues that we all face in life, including family, work, birth, aging, illness, and death. It also helps us to see and obtain the benefits of being thoughtful and grateful to those around us. Here is one example of impactful wisdom we learned from the book. “When we benefit all of mankind and all forms of life, our lives will also be purified, nourished and protected.” Inspired by such profound compassion and wisdom, we decided to put it into our daily practice. As we do so, we savor the joy of helping ourselves via helping others. Here are a couple of examples that embody the wisdom.
We all know that it is critical for a newborn to receive colostrum from its mother within the first 24 hours of birth in order to boost its immunity. However, some ewes and does, due to various reasons, (e.g. mastitis or insufficient milk supply), were unable to feed their own babies. Thus, the volunteers rose to the occasion and took turns bottle-feeding the newborns with store-bought colostrum at specific time intervals. The latest shift was 10 pm. Some volunteers even devoted themselves to staying on the farm overnight to avoid interrupting the feeding schedule.
The feeding process was not always smooth. For example, sometimes the newborn lambs and kids would refuse to drink from the bottle. After some research and much trial and error, the volunteers finally found a solution. First, the volunteers would take a small towel and rub the mother’s body. After the towel was infused with the mother’s smell, it was then gently placed over the baby’s eyes. The smell gave the baby an instant comfort, as if its mother was right there with him/her. It worked! The baby would then calm down and drink the milk from the bottle. Since we had a surge of new babies arrive, a nursing and medical team was set up to accommodate the newborns’ increasing needs. Volunteers worked from early morning to the late evening to feed the babies to ensure their survival and growth.
Despite our best efforts to care for the young, some still fell seriously ill. The nick-named “Flower Prince” was originally a healthy and lively lamb. However, signs of sickness began to appear when he was eight months old. After many visits to the vet, his cause of illness remained unknown. For five months, “Flower Prince” frequented the animal hospital and required at least three to five hours of feeding time, in addition to ten to twenty hours of companionship daily. A devoted volunteer then decided to take him home for around the clock care. Both she and her husband tirelessly gave Flower Prince their undivided attention.
She once asked her husband, “If we had to hand-feed him and take care of him like this for the rest of his life, would you be willing?” Without an ounce of doubt, the husband replied with a firm “yes”! He continued, “We have no other choice, because he is family.” Their unconditional love proves to us that true protection of life is not merely extending animals’ life, but to treat them as our equals.
The relationship between the volunteers and the animals is bidirectional. In fact, the goats and sheep often give back to us in their own way. One volunteer shares that the goats and sheep that she adopts can do many things that she cannot do! For example, the animals never fail to cheer up her mother-in-law, especially when she is in a bad mood. The furry companions would come close to her, sit at her feet, and even place their heads on her laps. Her mother-in-law was often amused by their loving gestures and sometimes naughty behavior! The volunteer commented about the relationship between the care-giver and the cared for, “You feed and care for them, but in turn, they bring warmth and happiness to your heart. So, in the end, the question becomes, who is helping whom?“ What do you think?
The care process for the rescued goats and sheep makes us understand that the wisdom from “The Great Treatise” is not just theory, rather, there is a tangible power that can nourish our hearts in practice. This book teaches us that love and dedication can create infinite possibilities, and allows us to help each other find the true meaning and joys of life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.happybaabaaland.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HappyBaaBaaLand.fb?mibextid=wwXIfr
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