Ill-treated and neglected animals have a sanctuary on an East Kurrajong farm, thanks to its owner, Neva Hartmann.
Hart Acres Animal Haven has operated for almost a year and is now a registered charity.
‘‘We’ve had about 40 animals through here,’’ Mrs Hartmann said.
One of her latest guests is Gracie, a poorly fed and ungroomed donkey she bought at a recent auction.
‘‘If I hadn’t paid for her, she’d probably end up as pet meat,’’ Mrs Hartmann said.
She said hundreds of animals were neglected, despite animal welfare laws and checks by the RSPCA.
‘‘They need shelter, food, water and veterinary care,’’ Mrs Hartmann said.
‘‘But too many people only see animals for what they can use them for, and when they’re done, they just dump them.
‘‘I can’t stand by and do nothing.’’
She said every animal she cared for had gone through hell. ‘‘Two horses, now living on our property, were just a bag of bones and poor teeth when we found them,’’ she said.
‘‘Three months ago we got a pig whose feet were so badly cracked she was almost lame.
‘‘We’ve got two goats we bought from a dairy so we could treat them for eye infections.
‘‘Their owner was prepared to let them go blind because he could still go on milking them’’
She tries to find new homes for the animals, but where that is not possible, they remain at Hart Acres.
Mrs Hartmann said the haven came about almost by accident.
‘‘We bought this property because I wanted to get into canine rehabilitation,’’ she said.
‘‘But one day we rescued some hens and it sort of grew from there.’’
She said she had found out many things about different animals and was still learning.
‘‘Take sheep; they have personalities and once they know you, they really warm to you,’’ Mrs Hartmann said. ‘‘I’ve learnt a lot about cows and I’m learning everything about horses.’’
She still works full-time so she has to spend most of her weekends and spare time during the week to keep Hart Acres in operation.
‘‘But I can’t stand by and do nothing for animals in need,’’ she said.
Hart Acres raises funds through Facebook and has regular sponsors.
Details: facebook.com/HartAcresAnimalHaven
