Little Oak Sanctuary

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Little Oak Sanctuary

A sanctuary for farmed animals located close to Canberra, Sydney and the South Coast of NSW Little Oak provides sanctuary for farmed animals.

A registered not for profit organisation, we offer sanctuary to animals in need whilst promoting compassion for all animals through education and cruelty free living. Farmed animals are not protected by the same legislation as the companion animals we share our homes with, meaning they are often the most exploited and vulnerable animals. We provide these animals sanctuary from abuse, neglect and a

bandonment. We work with local government and animal protection groups to effect changes in policy that better protect and support animals. We are dedicated to exploring and sharing ways we can all help animals, and seek solutions that are environmentally friendly and socially responsible.

10/01/2025

🐔 Meet Mr George Anderson: A Rooster with a Remarkable Rescue Story

For every backyard hen, there’s a heartbreaking truth that’s often overlooked: half of all eggs that hatch will be male chicks. With so few safe homes for roosters, countless males are killed shortly after hatching or abandoned to fend for themselves.

Early this year, a beautiful rooster was found alone at the Anderson Rest Stop near Lake George, dumped and at the mercy of predators, harsh weather, and starvation. Thankfully, compassionate souls came together, determined to save him.

After days of evasion, their persistence paid off, and this brave boy was brought to safety. Now named Mr George Anderson, he’s settling into life at Little Oak Sanctuary, where he’ll finally know love, care, and security.

But for roosters like George, this story is the exception, not the rule. Every egg consumed fuels an industry where roosters are disposable.

👉 You can help make a difference. Choose compassion and leave eggs off your plate. For roosters like Mr George Anderson, it’s a choice that saves lives.

💚 Together, we can create a kinder world for all animals.

Thanks to Daisy, Nicole & Alex, Tracy, Lyndal, Teena and Michelle ❤️

09/01/2025

Arriving just before Christmas, little Archie has slotted into sanctuary life like he was born here. We've been loving getting to know him and he has been showing us his huge personality (and love for nuzzling everyone very passionately with his snout). This is no little piggy personality wise; he is gigantic!

We took this pic shortly after he first arrived and only a few weeks later, he's already grown so much. We look forward to bringing you more of his adventures around the sanctuary.

Archie has a small surgery booked in today (his castration) and we just know he's going to take the whole adventure to the vets in his perfectly pink and sassy stride.

If you'd like to help animals like Archie the piglet, you can join our $5 Friday club. By contributing any amount on a regular basis (weekly or monthly), you help us immensely, ensuring we have a stable funding base to provide ongoing care to animals just as perfectly themselves, and deserving of a loving life as Archie.

Link in the comments ⬇️

07/01/2025

🐷Archie’s Great Adventure! 🐷

Today, after a lunchtime soy milk snack, baby Archie and I headed off for his very first adventure!

Pigs are incredibly clever, having some adventures where he can explore new sights and smells will help to keep this little guy happy and mentally stimulated.

He’s also super cute in his harness 🐷🥰

Pigs like Archie have so much personality and absolute passion for life, it’s a joy to behold. We just wish the world was as kind to all pigs, and we’ll keep working with all our might until it is.

We hope Archie brings a smile to your dial ☺️❤️🐷❤️

02/01/2025

“Our task must be to free ourselves..by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty” ~ Albert Einstein

We welcome the year ahead with renewed vigor and passion for making the world a better place for animals - which is also a world that is better for humans.

Happy New Year to all of our incredible supporters, let's make 2025 a powerful one.

#2025

30/12/2024

Our second most popular post from 2024 features Grace lamb (of course!) in her natural state which is of course airborne ❤️🐑❤️

⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣

25/12/2024

Merry Christmas from all at Little Oak Sanctuary ❤️🎄❤️

24/12/2024

Welcome to sanctuary, baby Archie ❤️🐷❤️

Coming through our gates just in time for Christmas, this little eight week old piglet has immediately stolen everyone’s heart.

Born much much smaller than his siblings, Archie was the runt of his litter, and so was taken inside to be hand raised. He grew strong but remained much smaller than the other piglets and so they reached out to us for help.

Archie is a large white pig piglet, and as such may grown up to 350kg. He’s the same type of piglet as Little Timmy piglet our very first piglet who inspired our Sanctuarys start. Especially at this time of year, when so many pigs face incredible suffering in the name of peace and joy, It feels so poignant to welcome this little fellow to safety. We already know he’s a strong willed, sassy little guy and we can’t wait to see the beautiful pig and the beautiful life he’ll live, safe in sanctuary.

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22/12/2024

Sharing our ten of our most memorable moments from the year that was 2024, what better way to begin than with this feel good video of Grace the lamb and dear Bubba the goat kid living their best Friday night lives ❤️

18/12/2024

Yesterday we bid a sad farewell to lovely Sophia who, after two months with us continues on her travels.

We're so fortunate to come across the most generous, big hearted, passionate and dedicated individuals, and Sophia is a special soul we'll never forget.

Seeing our volunteers form the most beautiful connections with the animals is a real gift, the love and care they give to the animals is a sight to behold.

We wish dear Sophia all the very best for the incredibly bright future that lies ahead of her.

Thank you Sophia, for helping us help make the world a better place for animals.

16/12/2024

Five months ago a tiny Jersey calf arrived through our sanctuary gates. Born with significant vision loss because of congenital cataracts, Hazel was surrendered into our care by a dairy farmer concerned she’d be unable to find her way around the farm.

Five months on, and Hazel is blossoming. Along with her bobby-calf “sister”, Iris, Hazel has grown into a confident, curious, sweet, gentle and playful young cow. This week both calves graduated to spending days with Gavin and Daisy, and overnighting outside their stables.

It’s a big step for these lovely souls, and we’re delighted to see the new relationships forming between all four of them. One of the beautiful parts of sanctuary life is seeing the relationships develop between the animals - knowing that they will be able to keep the friendships that they make, for life.

14/12/2024

12 Days of Christmas - Day 7 - Turkey facts
Turkeys are remarkable birds who are sadly rarely allowed to live long, happy lives. Did you know?

🦃 They are highly social and very affectionate, forming friendships that last a lifetime

🦃 Each Turkey has a unique voice that other turkeys recognise each other by

🦃 Their skin changes colour to reflect their emotions

🦃 They are great geographers and can learn the precise details of an area up to 1,000 acres

🦃 farmed turkeys are killed at just 18 weeks of age

🦃 farmed turkeys are routinely subjected to mutilations with no pain relief, such as removing the tips of their beaks and toes.

🦃 farmed turkeys have been selectively bred to grow incredibly large, and incredibly quickly, leading them to suffer immensely.

🦃 they are someone, not something

Pictured: Darla, the turkey hen. Darla had the tell tale signs of life in an intensive turkey farm - she had both her beak trimmed and the tips of her toes cut off, a process which led to chronic arthritis in her feet. Darla is no longer with us, having passed away however her story continues to advocate for her kind.

12/12/2024

12 Days of Christmas - Day 6 - Pigs are Playful!

Pigs are playful! When given a chance, pigs love to play; with toys, other animals or other pigs! Beautiful Lucy pig had a fabulous time playing with this ball, although she didn't give Pablo Pigcasso much of a turn.

Without man-made toys, pigs play together by 'dancing' (spinning), running together, and jostling playfully. Pigs are highly intelligent, social animals; in many ways, they are much like the dogs we share our homes and hearts with.

This Christmas, you can spare pigs and take action to create a compassionate world for all animals, the planet and other people by choosing plant-based foods.

11/12/2024

Our 2025 Calendars have SOLD OUT! But fear not, a small order of more calendars is currently in production (we didn't even manage to save a copy for ourselves!). Pre-Order yours now to secure your copy, they will sell out quickly!

Available on our website shop

11/12/2024

A vet visit for beautiful bovine Barry White today, in order to inspect a worrying lump that has appeared on the side of his face. First signs indicated it was an abscess as we were able to partially drain the site however it was not able to be fully drained.

Barry was the very best patient, he is a very gentle fellow and tolerated lots of poking about and needles incredibly well (with some bread treats to keep his mind of it and meds to treat any pain).

Our fingers are crossed that the remaining swelling at the site will resolve with his course of antibiotics and anti inflammatory medication, but for now the sweet boy is back in the paddock with his buddies.

11/12/2024

12 days of Christmas - Day 5 - Today's turkeys

Today’s Turkeys' lives are highly manipulated from conception to the day they are slaughtered.

Have you ever considered where the Turkeys used for meat come from? Breeder birds in most industries are rarely considered, but their suffering is immense.

Breeder turkeys are raised in the same conditions as turkeys intended specifically for meat, typically in very large sheds with hundreds of other birds. However, rather than being slaughtered at 18 weeks, breeder turkeys are kept in breeding facilities for close to a year, so their welfare problems are magnified. Birds are selectively bred for production traits such as fast growth and extremely large bodies. Today’s Male breeder turkeys are so big they cannot perform natural behaviours such as mating. Instead, artificial insemination is practised.

The collection of semen from Male tom turkeys is called ‘milking’. A worker pins the turkey down in a bent-over position. The worker then grabs the turkey's p***s, stroking and ma********ng it until the tom ej******es. The semen is collected, laced with extenders (a liquid to preserve fertilizing ability) and antibiotics, and then injected via syringe into the female turkey. The female turkeys are rushed along inside the hatchery, and the treatment and handling deteriorate as the workers become tired and frustrated and lose concentration, causing the turkeys to suffer increased pain and trauma.

The AI process is repeated once or twice a week until the breeder turkeys are slaughtered at one year of age. . The AI process is undoubtedly painful and causes injury and suffering to which the industry conveniently turns a blind eye. Most Australian States and Territories have laws prohibiting sexual contact with animals. However, farm animals are excluded from these laws because sexual contact is an integral part of artificial insemination procedures. As previously stated, this procedure causes injury and suffering and increases the birds' stress.

This is another aspect of Turkey farming that we rarely consider, especially as we plan a menu to celebrate peace and joy. Please leave turkeys off your plate this Christmas and always.

Thank you to the Aussie turkeys website (part of the farm transparency project) for the above information; please visit them for more information and references related to the above text.

Pic: Bruce the turkey tom was spared from slaughter and lived out four years peacefully at Little Oak Sanctuary

09/12/2024

12 Days of Christmas: Day 4 - pigs are naturally clean animals

Despite what many people think, Pigs are very clean animals. They use mud to keep cool and to be sun-smart, but as far as their toilet goes, that's a different story. In their natural environment, pigs have specific areas they use for their bathrooms. They ensure their toilets are away from their living or eating areas. Even piglets only a few hours old will leave the nest to relieve themselves.

In piggeries, sadly, pigs are kept in such high densities that they have no option but to sleep and live in their own excrement, often for months on end. It's a common misconception that pigs are smelly animals, but the reality is this is only due to being confined with their own waste. When you meet a pig at an animal sanctuary, you will note (when giving them belly rubs) how they smell quite pleasant, a smell of freshly dug earth and roots.

Image 1 - Little Timmy Piglet & Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Piggy at Little Oak Sanctuary
Image 2 - "grower" pigs at a small, local pig farm outside Canberra (2012, pic courtesy of Farm Transparency Project).

Twelve Days of Christmas is a Facebook project designed for people who want to educate family, friends and colleagues about how their Christmas dinner is produced. Please 'share' these posts from Little Oak Sanctuary over the next 12 days to help encourage greater respect for these beings and increase awareness of their plight.

08/12/2024

12 Days of Christmas - Day 3 - Kevin the Turkey

Kevin was born in early August of 2017 and survived until 2021, making him just over four years old. Four years might not sound like much, but for a modern farmed turkey, it’s almost twelve times as long as they are permitted to live.

Today farmed turkeys have been bred selectively to grow really big, really quickly; in fact, if a 3kg baby grew at the same rate, they would weigh 227kg by the time they were 18 weeks old. 18 weeks is significant as that is the typical age a farmed turkey lives before they are slaughtered.

This rapid rate of growth causes them a myriad of health issues, and even if kept in the very best of environments, their mortality rate is exceptionally high, and their lifespan is much shorter than nature ever intended.

Kevin experienced 4 years in sanctuary. He felt the sun on his feathers, grazed on fresh grass, impressed the pants off all of our visitors and got to show people just how incredible turkeys are.

We all have a choice whether to perpetuate the cycle of harm that has led to the reality that so many turkeys and other animals face.

This Christmas, you can take action to create a compassionate world, by choosing plant-based foods.

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https://www.littleoaksanctuary.org/donate

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🐔 Meet Mr George Anderson: A Rooster with a Remarkable Rescue Story For every backyard hen, there’s a heartbreaking truth that’s often overlooked: half of all eggs that hatch will be male chicks. With so few safe homes for roosters, countless males are killed shortly after hatching or abandoned to fend for themselves. Early this year, a beautiful rooster was found alone at the Anderson Rest Stop near Lake George, dumped and at the mercy of predators, harsh weather, and starvation. Thankfully, compassionate souls came together, determined to save him. After days of evasion, their persistence paid off, and this brave boy was brought to safety. Now named Mr George Anderson, he’s settling into life at Little Oak Sanctuary, where he’ll finally know love, care, and security. But for roosters like George, this story is the exception, not the rule. Every egg consumed fuels an industry where roosters are disposable. 👉 You can help make a difference. Choose compassion and leave eggs off your plate. For roosters like Mr George Anderson, it’s a choice that saves lives. 💚 Together, we can create a kinder world for all animals. #LittleOakSanctuary #SavingGeorgeAnderson #RoosterRescue #SomeOneNotSomething #LeaveEggsOffYourPlate #Kicking2025OffWithKindness #BeTheChange Thanks to Daisy, Nicole & Alex, Tracy, Lyndal, Teena and Michelle ❤️

🐷Archie’s Great Adventure! 🐷 Today, after a lunchtime soy milk snack, baby Archie and I headed off for his very first adventure! Pigs are incredibly clever, having some adventures where he can explore new sights and smells will help to keep this little guy happy and mentally stimulated. He’s also super cute in his harness 🐷🥰 Pigs like Archie have so much personality and absolute passion for life, it’s a joy to behold. We just wish the world was as kind to all pigs, and we’ll keep working with all our might until it is. We hope Archie brings a smile to your dial ☺️❤️🐷❤️

Merry Christmas from all at Little Oak Sanctuary ❤️🎄❤️

Welcome to sanctuary, baby Archie ❤️🐷❤️ Coming through our gates just in time for Christmas, this little eight week old piglet has immediately stolen everyone’s heart. Born much much smaller than his siblings, Archie was the runt of his litter, and so was taken inside to be hand raised. He grew strong but remained much smaller than the other piglets and so they reached out to us for help. Archie is a large white pig piglet, and as such may grown up to 350kg. He’s the same type of piglet as Little Timmy piglet our very first piglet who inspired our Sanctuarys start. Especially at this time of year, when so many pigs face incredible suffering in the name of peace and joy, It feels so poignant to welcome this little fellow to safety. We already know he’s a strong willed, sassy little guy and we can’t wait to see the beautiful pig and the beautiful life he’ll live, safe in sanctuary. ⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ #sanctuarylife #animals #beingkindtoeverykind #someonenotsomething #littleoaksanctuary #animalrescue #sydneyaustralia #weareallearthlings #rescue #compassion #kindness #veganfortheanimals #kindnessmatters #kindnessiseverything #rescued #beautiful #australia #sanctuary #canberralocal #environment #compassionateliving #crueltyfree #animalsanctuary #vegansanctuary

Five months ago a tiny Jersey calf arrived through our sanctuary gates. Born with significant vision loss because of congenital cataracts, Hazel was surrendered into our care by a dairy farmer concerned she’d be unable to find her way around the farm. Five months on, and Hazel is blossoming. Along with her bobby-calf “sister”, Iris, Hazel has grown into a confident, curious, sweet, gentle and playful young cow. This week both calves graduated to spending days with Gavin and Daisy, and overnighting outside their stables. It’s a big step for these lovely souls, and we’re delighted to see the new relationships forming between all four of them. One of the beautiful parts of sanctuary life is seeing the relationships develop between the animals - knowing that they will be able to keep the friendships that they make, for life. #littleoaksanctuary #thisissanctuary

Five months ago a tiny Jersey calf arrived through our sanctuary gates. Born with significant vision loss because of congenital cataracts, Hazel was surrendered into our care by a dairy farmer concerned she'd be unable to find her way around the farm.Five months on, and Hazel is blossoming. Along with her bobby-calf "sister", Iris, Hazel has grown into a confident, curious, sweet, gentle and playful young cow. This week both calves graduated to spending days with Gavin and Daisy, and overnighting outside their stables.It's a big step for these lovely souls, and we're delighted to see the new relationships forming between all four of them. One of the beautiful parts of sanctuary life is seeing the relationships develop between the animals - knowing that they will be able to keep the friendships that they make, for life.#littleoaksanctuary #thisissanctuary

12 Days of Christmas - Day 6 - Pigs are Playful! Pigs are playful! When given a chance, pigs love to play; with toys, other animals or other pigs! Beautiful Lucy pig had a fabulous time playing with this ball, although she didn't give Pablo Pigcasso much of a turn. Without man-made toys, pigs play together by 'dancing' (spinning), running together, and jostling playfully. Pigs are highly intelligent, social animals; in many ways, they are much like the dogs we share our homes and hearts with. This Christmas, you can spare pigs and take action to create a compassionate world for all animals, the planet and other people by choosing plant-based foods.

A vet visit for beautiful bovine Barry White today, in order to inspect a worrying lump that has appeared on the side of his face. First signs indicated it was an abscess as we were able to partially drain the site however it was not able to be fully drained. Barry was the very best patient, he is a very gentle fellow and tolerated lots of poking about and needles incredibly well (with some bread treats to keep his mind of it and meds to treat any pain). Our fingers are crossed that the remaining swelling at the site will resolve with his course of antibiotics and anti inflammatory medication, but for now the sweet boy is back in the paddock with his buddies.

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Our Story

About Us Little Oak Sanctuary provides ongoing care to over 180 farmed animals. Situated on over 250 acres of land, located under an hour from Canberra - Australia's National Capital, an hour from the coast, under an hour from Goulburn and three hours to Sydney. Our Mission Little Oak Sanctuary Incorporated is a not-for-profit, registered charity that offers sanctuary to animals in need while promoting compassion for all animals through education and cruelty-free living. Our Name In 2012, we adopted two piglets, one girl, and one boy. We named these two Heavenly Hiranni Tiger Piggy (or Tiger, for short) and Little Timmy Piglet. Little did we know the place these two amazing beings would take in our hearts! As we were very soon to learn, pigs, like the dogs and cats we typically share our homes with, have very unique personalities. Tiger was full of in your face curiosity, and like a human baby everything had to go into her mouth – edible or not! She would bound around the corner after her breakfast and make “bok bok bok” grunts (which is a friendly noise pigs make when meeting friends) before launching an assault on whatever toy or ‘thing’ she could find. To this day she cannot resist buttons, zippers, buckles or shoelaces! She has to have a trial nibble Little Timmy Piglet on the other hand, was a more snugly baby. He was a boy of lap cuddles and belly-rubs, with the occasional mad fit of dancing thrown in for good measure. As the piglets grew, so did these personalities, with Timmy always keen for a belly rub, and Tiger always needing to know what was going on. The two were now living outside, enjoying digging the dirt with their noses and cooling themselves in their wallow. Sadly our Little Timmy Piglet, towards the end of 2012, became ill. Our brave man battled recurring infections that ended with him losing his life. In December, the infection must have tragically reached his brain and he passed away suddenly during a vet examination. That was January 4th of 2013. This little man will not be forgotten. He planted a seed in our hearts, and we will continue to share the message of living with compassion for all living creatures. We planted an oak tree over his grave – it seemed to fit well - Timmy was a tiny piglet whom grew to be a young pig of great strength and yet great gentleness. We know his time on this earth although short, was one of great meaning. Little Timmy Piglets’ Oak tree – although small, is a tree of great strength. We named the sanctuary “Little Oak” to reflect this and honour Timmy. It is a sanctuary that is small in size, but hopes to be one of great strength – the strength of both compassion and information.

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