In the beautiful German countryside, on the Butjadingen Peninsula situated on the North Sea coast, a former dairy farm called Hof Butenland is now an idyllic forever retreat for retired racehorses, farm animals, pets research, and circus animals.
The gorgeous, rustic sanctuary is a place where animals, including cattle, horses, pigs, geese, chickens, and dogs, can put their former, more challenging lives behind them and live out their days stress-free, without a care in the world.
At Hof Butenland, animals’ needs come first, from medical care to delicious treats (like pigs getting hand-fed strawberries as they lie in a bundle of hay, like kings). Here, animals are residents who get to decide with whom and where (animal or human) they spend their time. As New York Times highlights, “on this German farm, cows are in charge or at least coequals.”
The cows don’t have to produce milk, pigs get to sleep late, and basically, they get to do whatever they want. No animals on this farm serve a human need. Their only purpose is to live peacefully, have fun and enjoy life.
Its founders – a former dairy farmer, Jan Gerdes, and his partner, Karin Mück – want the animals they welcome to forget about their often-traumatizing pasts as they bask in their tranquil surroundings.
The couple explained on their Facebook page:
We rescue and provide lifelong care for animals that have been saved from neglect and exploitation. For these lucky creatures, Hof Butenland is their lifetime home now.
Gerdes inherited the farm (complete with its red brick barns built in 1841) from his father. In the 1980s, he pioneered organic farming practices in the area. However, he soon grew tired of the harsh side of dairy farming, such as the sound of calves crying for their mothers after being forcibly separated from them.
Finally, Gerdes decided to treat the animals in a more egalitarian way instead. The sanctuary now has an English brochure titled “The New Cowlture: Because animals aren’t machines,” where they discuss how humans are discovering a new relationship to cows.
The flyer points out that there is a growing interest in vegan products even in countries of traditionally keen meat-eaters, such as Germany. This movement has partly stemmed from concerns about livestock treatment and industrial farming’s significant contribution to greenhouse gasses.
Today, the couple work to ensure that their animal “residents” can expect a life filled with love, “peace and dignity, with respect and appreciation, which revolves only around them.” Hof Butenland’s Facebook page and website explain that “these animals live more freely so that everyone can move around the farm and the large pastures as self-determined as possible.”
As cute as their forever guests are, Gerdes and Mück do not encourage swarms of visitors due to the understandable wariness of some of their rescued animals about contact with humans. For example, “Puschek” is a friendly Pekingese dog, but he still recoils from anyone approaching him holding an object since he was mistreated in the past.
However, the couple hosts tours for small groups of supporters for their non-profit, but the sanctuary mustn’t turn into a goldfish bowl with animals displayed like a zoo. They said: “We are not exhibiting animals here, but want to offer them as perfect and carefree a life as possible.”
The surprisingly amusing video below shows Puschek frolicking around the free-roaming animals in Hof Butenland’s tranquil farm.
Jon Stewart, primarily known for being one of the most recognized TV show hosts and comedians of our time, is on a similar mission. He has also turned his 45-acre farm, the Hockhockson Farm, into an animal sanctuary to rescue abused factory farm animals. In addition, the farm is also an education center.
Among the first animals to take up residence at their farm in Colts Neck, New Jersey, are two piglets, named Anna and Maybelle, who were rescued from a swine factory when they fell off the cargo loader during transfer; two goats; a bull; loads of more pigs; and many other animals!
Other animal heroes include a 51-year-old Buddhist monk named Zhi Xiang. He has dedicated his life to rescuing and rehabilitating China’s stray dogs and cats, with the ultimate goal of placing them in forever homes with loving families. Beyond already saving 8,000 animals in Shanghai, Xiang’s mission is to embody the principles of his faith, setting a positive example of commitment and discipline to fellow Buddhists and serving as a spiritual guide for his community.
