TRADING THE RAT RACE FOR PARADISE

Laurelee Blanchard left California to pursue her dream of saving animals in Maui

aurelee has an incredible story the course of my life. Someday, I would follow her dream of opening an animal to tell. Her upcoming book, become a protector of animals.” sanctuary. Laurelee’s sanctuary started LFinding Paradise: Leilani Farm with just two chickens, which she saved Sanctuary of Maui, is an emotional and Laurelee became involved in Animal from a local factory. Just a few years truly compelling tale of her lifelong Rights in the early 90s when she joined later, Laurelee details the heartbreaking commitment to animal advocacy. Her the Orange County People for Animals moment when she saved 64 live hens astonishing book is a vividly written (OCPA). A leaflet, which she picked up at from an abandoned farm, which had account of her journey from a Senior an OCPA meeting, led her veganism after been left there to die. Vice President of a real estate company learning about the destructive impact of in Southern California to opening a farm factory farming on the environment. She said: “Dead hens littered our path, sanctuary on the island of Maui, Hawaii. and we gingerly stepped on and over OCPA also introduced her to animal them to reach the living. One poor bird Laurelee has always been an animal activism and not long after her transition died a slow, miserably death, her head lover and her story begins in 1966, to veganism she joined protests against jammed between the bars of her cage. when she was just a young child, and poultry production and the fur trade. Others had been flattened by factory describes her relationship with her However, Laurelee still felt that she vehicles. The place reeked of manure animal companion. could do more: “Making large donations and chicken corpses, and I was sickened to animal protection organizations almost unbearably.” Smokey, a black cat, and Laurelee were had given me some satisfaction, but I inseparable and when the time came to yearned for a deeper and more direct The 64 chickens that she saved have visit her grandparents’ house, she was involvement. I decided it was time to prospered under her care and her flock allowed to take her companion but, focus my energies toward helping a has grown. The chickens can range to her abhorrence, her father locked non-profit organization specialising in freely over two thousand square feet the cat in her grandparents’ basement farm animal protection.” and part of this area is dedicated to despite Laurelee’s protests. Laurelee chickens that need specific care such says: “That painful experience of not Laurelee abandoned her hard-earned as Limpy, whose legs were so weak being able to protect my beloved career in real estate and decided to that she could not walk. Despite the companion cat would profoundly shape move to Maui, an island of Hawaii, to cruelty she had endured, Limpy loved

36 to sit on Laurelee’s lap and be held with to Laurelee’s door after having shot her affection. Laurelee says that chickens, mother. He was forever changed and just like cats and dogs, love to be held vowed never to hunt again. Since then, and petted. Visitors to Leilani are shown as he has become increasingly involved how to hold a chicken caringly and in the support of Leilani, he has started many have unexpectedly fallen in love to experiment with a vegan diet and with them, vowing to never eat these educating others about the work of the loving animals again. sanctuary.

Fifteen years after Laurelee left Laurelee has created a safe haven California, her core values of love, where the public bring rescued animals kindness and empathy mean that she and interact with them to learn about now cares for hundreds of animals on how animals and humans can live the farm including Ned (a goat saved together peacefully and without cruelty. from a dairy farm), Dorothy (a cow saved However, Laurelee does not have an brow until his eyeballs were revealed. from slaughter) and Blind George. endless pot of money to care for all of After a few weeks healing, Dr Sims the animals that need her help. proclaimed that George’s sight had been George was one of the first arrivals restored and he could finally enjoy the to Leilani. As the population of Maui Laurelee has set up a ‘Promise Fund’ to breathtaking views of the ocean. became aware of the work that the purchase the sanctuary land to ensure sanctuary was doing, Laurelee started that the Leilani Farm Sanctuary can Happy stories like George’s are not to receive more and more calls asking continue to home hundreds of animals unusual at Leilani. Dorothy was, in her to take in needy animals. She now, and after she is no longer able to the eyes of the dairy industry, spent remembers one story in particular. run the sanctuary. “I am determined and headed for the slaughterhouse. A man called Laurelee after rescuing to ensure the animals will be cared for Thankfully, she was saved by a farm a pig which was living behind a after I’m gone,” she said, continuing: worker called Steve who had built neighbourhood restaurant. The “Owning the land will make certain that such a strong bond with the cow that potbellied pig was being fed takeaway the sanctuary animals will have a home he paid the owner of the farm to save scraps and unsurprisingly, it was far beyond my lifetime.” Dorothy’s life. Steve had no way to care enormous. George was so obese that for Dorothy himself and so he turned the fat rolls on his head covered his eyes Laurelee’s dream to set up a farm to Leilani for help. Laurelee took in completely. When he arrived at Leilani, sanctuary was a risk and has been rocky Dorothy, who has since become a Laurelee put him on a strict diet which road for her, but she wouldn’t change key part of the sanctuary’s education saw him return to a healthy weight her decision. She said: ‘I no longer around the dairy, meat and leather within months but the skin, which measure success by how much money industries for its visitors. covered his eyes, remained. Laurelee I make, how many deals I broker, or contacted a local vet who told her that how I can out-earn my competitors. Laurelee often finds that the people George’s eyeballs had atrophied (wasted As director of Leilani Farm Sanctuary, who bring her animals in need are away) as a result of the immense my life is richer and more meaningful as affected by the experience as the pressure that the fat had put on his eye than I’d ever imagined possible… I am animals themselves. Don, a life-long sockets. making a real difference in the world by deer hunter, brought an orphan deer pursuing my path.” A couple of years later, George’s luck changed when a programme called You can help Leilani Farm Sanctuary Aloha Vet, filmed by National by making a donation to assist them in Geographic, arrived in Hawaii. The caring for rescued animals, providing programme followed a vet called Dr humane education to the community, Sims who performed various surgeries and to buy the property to ensure a on animals around the islands. When sustainable future for the animals. the producer asked Laurelee if she had Laurelee’s book, which details all of an animal in need of medical aid, she her animal rights efforts and more immediately thought of George. The vet wonderful stories of the animals she has agreed to perform blepharoplasty (an saved, will be available from her website eyebrow lift) on George, despite the fact soon at leilanifarmsanctuary.org. he had never performed this surgery before. Dr Sims put George under anaesthetic and used a scalpel to remove the excess tissue around his 37