There are several reasons that I’m terrified to begin this post.
The first of those reasons is that when I visited The Retreat (with some lovely friends from The Humane League), I took roughly 300 pictures, and cutting that down to a reasonable enough number that the scrollbar on this blog post doesn’t shrink to a mere line is a slightly challenging task.
The second is that I have no idea how to do justice to what the incredible team at this sanctuary have done, and continue to do every single day. While I’m already so in awe of their commitment to rescuing and rehabilitating animals consigned to suffering and death, there’s no way that I can comprehend their dedication after spending just one day at The Retreat, and certainly no way that it can be conveyed in one blog post.
The final reason is an intense and overwhelming feeling that is impossible to describe. I’ve never been to an animal sanctuary before, and have never even had pets – but this is the reason why I’m vegan. Being surrounded by friendly, affectionate animals is exhilarating, but there’s also a real sense of peace in knowing that they’re going to be safe for the rest of their lives.
The Retreat really do rescue and home every kind of animal. The first thing that happened when I arrived (after I navigated the path of feathered folk – who by the way, were so unfazed it was almost insulting) was the delivery in a cardboard box of the fluffiest little baby pigeon I have ever seen.
One of the things that surprised me the most was how docile so many of the animals were; a lot of the time, they were even vying for our attention. When I approached little calf Sylvia, she stuck her head out and licked me over and over again – no different to a playful puppy. It struck me that she hasn’t grown up fearing and mistrusting humans, and it warmed my heart to be the recipient of such an innocent affection.
It’s easy to tell that pigs have an incredible sense of smell by the way that they met our fingers with their tiny snouts when we went over to play – it was difficult to drag ourselves away from these tiny bundles of joy, but even harder to imagine that anyone would ever want to bring them any harm.
I think we’ve established by now that I can’t write a blog post that doesn’t mention food, but I promise that here, it’s with good reason (not that one needs a reason to live and breathe food). Not only does The Retreat serve up an all-vegan menu, supplementing their food with organic and home-grown herbs, but it’s all absolutely delicious. Needless to say, we relished our burgers and toasties, and the bakewell slice with coconut cream – ordered on a whim – was so good that it was quickly replaced.
I had to save Bramble Bill until last, because of all the turkeys I’ve spent an afternoon with (of which there are, of course, many), I’ve never encountered one so proud and resplendent, but friendly and affectionate at the same time. Thanks to him, I can now cross *cuddling a turkey* off the list of experiences I never thought I’d ever have. I feel so honoured to have been invited to share in such a wonderful creature’s love.
This blog post is long enough already, but I’m only sorry for all the photos that I don’t have room to include, and the animals that I don’t have time to introduce. While the only disappointment of the day was that some parts of the sanctuary were inaccessible, with the rain creating minor swamps, I’m definitely hoping to be back soon for Part 2.
If you can make it to Ashford, please visit The Retreat. Not only is it the most heartwarming afternoon I’ve ever spent, but the truth is that they need all the help that they can get, whether it’s picking something up from the cosy little charity shop, to sponsoring one of their incredible animals.
I really hope that you liked this post, and thank you so much for reading.
The Retreat Animal Rescue:
http://www.retreatanimalrescue.org.uk/
Join the Me-ganism community on Facebook:
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