World Farm Animals Day: Honouring the lives too often forgotten
World Farm Animals Day, marked each year on 2nd October, is a global day of awareness dedicated to the billions of animals raised and used in farming systems. It exists to honour their lives, acknowledge their sentience, and encourage kinder, more compassionate choices. The date also coincides with the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, recognising his belief in non‑violence and respect for all living beings.
This day is a reminder of why our work matters, as many of the animals in our care were once part of the farming industry. Today, we’re highlighting some of the residents and sharing their stories.
Mo & Ella
Mo and Ella arrived at the sanctuary in 2021. Both were used as dairy cows, and met each other at a livestock market - a place where animals are bought and sold with little regard for their emotional bonds or histories.
A farmer purchased them in the hope they would become pregnant again. When neither did, they were deemed no longer “useful” for milk production. Their slaughter date was set for 8 February 2021.
Thanks to Fear to Freedom Animal Rescue, Mo and Ella’s story changed course. Instead of being loaded onto a lorry headed for a slaughterhouse, they were driven to the sanctuary - to safety, companionship, and a life where they are valued simply for who they are.
Today, Mo and Ella spend their days grazing, sunbathing, and enjoying the comfort of each other’s company. Their friendship is gentle, steady and deeply moving, a reminder that cows form strong social bonds and feel loss just as strongly as they feel joy.
Berry & Frankie
Turkeys are some of the most overlooked animals in farming. Intelligent, curious and deeply social, yet they are often reduced to a single purpose, especially around Christmas.
Berry and Frankie were rescued from turkey farms, destined to be someone’s Christmas dinner. Instead, they found safety here.
Berry is a male turkey with a personality as bright as his plumage. He loves meeting new people and often greets visitors with a full display, fanning out his feathers like a peacock and showing off the iridescent colours that make turkeys so striking.
Turkeys communicate through colour: the skin on their heads and necks can shift between shades of red, blue and white depending on mood. Males also vibrate their bodies to impress females with a deep hum that other turkeys can feel through the ground with their feet. Berry is gentle with both humans and other turkeys.
Frankie, a female turkey, came from cramped, dirty farm conditions that left her with long‑term issues. She has on‑and‑off bumblefoot - a painful condition caused by standing on hard, filthy surfaces. We often put little shoes on her feet to protect them and help her walk comfortably.
Turkeys in farms are routinely de‑beaked, a painful mutilation done to prevent pecking in stressful, overcrowded environments. Here, we’ve never had an issue with pecking, because the birds have space, enrichment, calm surroundings and the ability to express natural behaviours.
Frankie spends her days exploring, sunbathing and enjoying the company of Berry and the rest of the flock. She is gentle, sweet and incredibly resilient.
Annie
Annie came from a commercial egg farm, a place where hens are valued only for what they produce. Many arrive to us with pale combs, missing feathers and weakened bodies from the demands of constant egg‑laying.
After a few months at the sanctuary, everything changes. Sunlight, dust baths, space to stretch her wings, and being fed back her own eggs to replenish lost nutrients all help her recover.
Annie loves dust bathing, scratching for treats and stretching her wings out to sunbathe, simple joys she would never have experienced in a farm.
Egg‑laying hens often have short lifespans due to reproductive issues caused by selective breeding. We give them the best life possible, no matter how long they’re with us.
Farmed animals are individuals. They form friendships, feel fear and comfort, enjoy sunshine, seek out affection, and have preferences, quirks and personalities just like any other animal.
Yet they are some of the most overlooked beings on the planet.
Mo, Ella, Berry, Frankie and Annie remind us that every farmed animal is someone, not something.
If you’d like to support the residents who call Surge Sanctuary home, there are lots of ways to get involved:
Visit us for a guided tour or event
Share our posts to help their stories reach new people
Donate or become a monthly supporter
Volunteer with us
Purchase from our online shop
