What is a Sanctuary?      By Pamela Bluck.

What constitutes a sanctuary, what does it mean?  Well, if you look in the English Dictionary it will be described in many parts..a place of refuge...a place protected by law where animals and birds can live.... to list just two.  Anybody finding a stray cat and takes it in is offering sanctuary to the animal, a kindness, but would they then be classed as a sanctuary?  This was amongst questions that are being considered at meetings on animal welfare in Wales, it is a question that needs answering. It is proposed that all sanctuaries need to be inspected and licensed, which I am in full agreement with, providing of course that the fee is not prohibitively high.  To me a sanctuary is a registered body that is fully conversant with the needs of its animals, it should be inspected by official and well educated bodies not only for the welfare of the animals and the facilities provided but also because they have governance responsibility to Trusts and Foundations and to the general public upon whom they depend financially.  All donors should be confident that their donations are actually being used for the defined purpose and that everything is well managed..  Whilst the Charity Commission receive the annual reports and accounts they do not have the responsibility for the behaviour and function of the actual sanctuary.  Donors need to be sure that the Sanctuary actually uses the money correctly and efficiently.  

Within 10 miles of the H.A.C.K. Horse Sanctuary there are two other Sanctuaries that take in all species of animals.  It would be nice to know that in doing so they would have all the necessary facilities in place, and the knowledge and dedication that goes with it in spite of both being registered charities, however both are seriously lacking in all areas of animal welfare.  

H.A.C.K. recommends that anyone wishing to take an animal to a sanctuary should check carefully the credentials and status of the facility before actually committing to them. Sanctuaries need to have adequate facilities, experience and premises to accommodate the particular type and size of animal. Simply being a registered, charity is not enough, the care of animal’s carries responsibilities and duties and admission to an inadequate facility could mean that the animal is condemned to a life of misery.   We have encountered facilities where it could even be better to have an animal euthanased rather than subject it to further unnecessary suffering. Under the New Animal welfare laws owners seeking to offer on loan their horses and ponies  remain legally responsible for their animals.  

In our last news letter we told you about the 21 wild Welsh Mountain pony colts that ended up on an acre of land near Wrexham.  They had been grazing on hundreds of acres of grass land in North Wales, but were rounded up because they were colts and were part of the annual cull.  Most looked well enough but they were now deposited in a totally unsuitable environment littered with rubble, barbed wire, old furniture etc. A few days later when the snow arrived there was no evidence of hay or water and these little ponies stood huddled in little groups with their backs to the weather.  As much as we wanted to take hay to them we were told this action would have serious implications and it was best not to intervene, as you can imagine this seemed abhorrent to us but we had to abide by the legal advice.  Eventually some hay did appear although only occasionally.  Allegedly the carers of these animals were reported to have commented “they are mountain ponies they don’t need feeding.” The concept that 1 acre of land is a mountain and would support 21 ponies....is clearly madness.  

Even though improvement orders were served under the Animal Welfare act 2006 on more than one occasion it has taken nearly 6 months to get these ponies to a safe haven.  The good news is that one of the “major sanctuaries have now removed the ponies ” On the day the ponies went they had not had water for some time and were all dehydrated.  However they were only afforded a few shared gallons of water  before they departed since  over watering them may have caused serious health implications whilst travelling.  It disgusts and distresses us that these ponies had to endure such thoughtless neglect.  

The sad thing is that these ponies had been rescued by a so called Animal Sanctuary who had totally let these animals down and even worse this sanctuary is well supported financially and had the means to support these ponies in a fashion in which they were entitled to. So what was the point of it all, why would you do it?  Life at any Price.  So what is a Sanctuary?