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.
Little Oak Sanctuary - 12 Days of Christmas: Day 2 - Pigs love affection (Featuring Little Timmy Piglet - the guy who started it all!)
Pigs are highly social animals, they sleep together huddled in nests and while they sleep they love to cuddle up close to one another nose to nose. Pigs also greet other pigs whom they know by rubbing noses much in the way we would shake hands.
Pigs are highly co-operative in social groups and show affection by grooming each other. Very much like us, and indeed other animals, they establish social groups and are capable of evaluating the behaviour of other members of the group understanding which of their number are more aggressive and dominant.
Trynn the Turkey Hen
The 12 Day of Christmas - Day 1
The 12 days of Christmas is a campaign to raise awareness of the plight of turkeys, created by our dear friend Bede Carmody, founder of A Poultry Place sanctuary. We joined this campaign several years ago, raising awareness of the plight of pigs, as both animals feature heavily on many people's Christmas menus. Tragically, Bede is no longer with us, so we carry on the 12 days of Christmas in his honour, sharing the stories of both turkeys and pigs we've known.
Day One - Trynn the turkey hen - Turkeys are incredibly affectionate beings.
Trynn, the turkey hen, arrived at Little Oak Sanctuary as a young, 18-week-old poult. Eighteen weeks is a dangerous age for a modern farmed turkey, as this is the age that turkey farms typically send them for slaughter. Fortunately for Trynn and her five friends, she was spared and found sanctuary with us at Little Oak.
The six turkeys would follow us, sitting at our feet, patiently awaiting affection. For birds that had known no human contact as they grew, spending the first 18 weeks of their life in huge sheds with thousands of other birds, their inherent friendliness, curiosity, gentleness, and affection was astounding.
Turkeys, like Trynn, are remarkable beings who deserve so much more than winding up on a menu.
Gala competition drawing time! Winners in the comments below 👇
We have the heaviest news to share with you today: our dear little Herbie has passed away.
Herbie's life began on a cold winter afternoon. Born wet and motionless, he lay through the long night without moving. In the morning, a farmer found him still down, not nursing from his mother as he'd hoped, and rushed him to receive vet care. With no suckle reflex, the fragile black calf was fed via tube 3 times a day for his first week of life. He was then surrendered to us, and we met the tiny, wobbly calf we would soon grow to love.
We named him Herbie, and from day one, we dedicated ourselves to nursing him through each challenge. His journey wasn't easy; though he soon moved from tube feeding to bottle feeding, every feed time came with risk. For reasons tests never clarified, each time he drank milk, Herbie aspirated—a condition that caused recurring pneumonia. We switched him to bucket feeding, which worked for a short time, but new issues arose. With much consultation, we weaned Herbie early, gradually introducing solid food to support his delicate system. His health challenges continued, but Herbie overcame each episode; until Sunday.
It was a morning like any other. We watched with joy as Herbie played with his sister Hazel as they moved out from their stable for a day in the sun. As I stroked his chin as I had so many times before, I had not a single indication that we would find him, passed, a few hours later.
Although perpetually wobbly, Herbie lived every minute of his 12 weeks on this earth. He frolicked, played, and soaked in the sunshine, always with a glossy coat, a sparkle in his eye and his ears pricked to attention. His older "sisters," Hazel and Iris, groomed him lovingly and kept him company, filling his life with love and friendship.
Watching Herbie frolic with the other calves, Hazel and Iris, was a sight that filled our eyes with happy tears and our hearts with joy. This little black calf touched an incredible number of hearts, and we are all
CELEBRATE WITH US!
Join us in celebrating a year of animal rescue - the lives saved, the worlds transformed, for good. For those who faced challenges, for those we lost and for those who made it through the dark times and have a long, bright future ahead of them; none of it would be possible without you.
Come celebrate an incredible year and get inspired for the year ahead.
Hosted by Marty Bright, an award winning comedian, musician and spoken word poet with a passion for spreading good vibes and up-beat energy, the night promises to be an incredible celebration of compassion.
Fabulous food & drinks, live music, silent auction and lucky door prizes.
Grab your tickets today
We're having a Bakesale! (& veggie sausage sizzle) THIS SUNDAY at Dickson shops (outside Woolworths & Coles), you'll find us raising funds for our Urgent Care appeal, with a delicious array of vegan baked goods, veggie sausage sizzle AND our brand new calendars hot off the press (as well as brand new t-shirt designs and our other merch!).
Come along to say hello between 11am until we're sold out, and help us raise vital funds for the sanctuary!
Tonight, our hearts are heavy as we say goodbye to a very special little goat, Bubba, who passed away after a brave battle with numerous health challenges. Bubba arrived at Little Oak Sanctuary in late June at just six weeks old, having already endured the loss of his mother and twin brother. His early days were filled with trials, including a painful condition called joint ill, a bacterial infection that left his knees damaged, leading to lifelong arthritis.
Despite all that he faced, Bubba's spirit remained bright. He charmed us with his sweet nature and gentle presence, and he made friends wherever he went. His love for sliced apple and the little bleat he would give just before his bottle captured our hearts. Though his health struggles persisted, Bubba remained a happy and resilient little fellow, and we cherished every moment with him.
Recently, Bubba received cortisone injections in his joints, giving him newfound mobility and comfort. We were overjoyed to see him walking more easily and hoped this treatment would grant him a more comfortable life. Tragically, it was not to be.
On Wednesday, after one of his best days in a long time, Bubba suddenly took a turn for the worse. Rushed to the vets for treatment for suspected bloat, he returned to the sanctuary and seemed to be recovering. But by this morning, Bubba cried out in pain once again, and we rushed him back to the vets for further testing. Sadly, despite every effort and Bubba's immense strength, it became clear that he was losing his battle. A post-mortem revealed significant abnormalities in his gall-bladder, which had adhered to his liver and abdominal cavity.
We are heartbroken to lose this dear little soul just as we had found a way to ease his joint pain. Bubba was more than just a goat—he was someone. He showed us the depth of his character in the way he lived his life, full of courage, love, and joy, even in the face of his many challenges. We will never forget his gentle bleat, his passio
