Want to spend my life supporting wildlife/animals, but where do I start?

May 24, 2022 5:08 PM

I have this vague dream of living on a beautiful children's book farm in harmony with nature and supporting animals/wildlife in a big way, BUT I don't know the next step to get me to that final vision. I think I need a concrete plan. What are my next steps? (Much more inside!)

I'll start with some background. I am in my mid 30's and currently work at a very well paying job in the pharmaceutical industry. I don't love the job itself, but I do love that it gives me financial stability and some flexibility/time to do what I love outside of work. It's also pretty low-stress. I currently have a lot saved up with no plan of what to do with it.

I've been feeling very lost lately, kind of like I need to make some move or take action or make some change in my life to feel purpose and meaning, but also feeling paralyzed by all the options. Like, I know the world is my oyster and all but just the thought of that makes me freeze and not make any decision in any direction at all.

I have always loved animals and in the last few years I really started moving (almost subconsciously) in a direction towards animal-support stuff outside of work. I fell into volunteering regularly at a wildlife rehabilitation center, which gives me such a feeling of fulfillment. The physical acts of sacrifice are what gives me the best feelings (ie. bottle feeding a baby raccoon, cleaning a cage for an animal that needs it, administering medication, etc.) I started years ago and never stopped, which was big for me. I love learning and doing physical things that I know and can witness are benefitting the life of the animal. I also started fostering shelter dogs lately. Same there, the physical acts of sacrifice (like training, walking, giving it individualized attention outside of the shelter) feel so fulfilling to me.

So anyway, today I had a light bulb - I think I realized the thing that I know is going to give me purpose and true happiness. DUH. I love wildlife and animals and I want to support their welfare, in a hands-on way. And I want to have a farm (I think).

But, I don't think I want to change my career. I think I want to use the money from my job to do the animal-related support things.

I think I want:

To have a small farm where I have lots of domesticated animals and grow food
To support wildlife (plants but especially wild animals)
To support shelter pets

I've gotten a "taste" of how each of these things make me feel, but I want to do more, I want it to envelop my life! But not in an indirect way like donating money. I want the hands-on WORK. The physical sacrifices with the knowledge that what I am doing is making a difference in that animal's life.

I have this vague dream of living on a beautiful children's book farm in harmony with nature and supporting animals BUT I don't know the next step to get me to that final vision. Or if I could even do it! And sometimes I think wouldn't it be cool to start a non-profit animal shelter but I have no idea where to start for that either. And I do't know if I would follow through on it or if it would fail.

I think I need a concrete plan.
What are my next steps, MeFites?

posted by koolaidnovel to Grab Bag (9 answers total)

My most recent supervisor owns a hobby farm where he raises sheep and chickens, keeps bees, and does other food stuff like maple syrup. It takes a bit of his time, but not so much that he can’t work a 9-to-5+ and raise kids (humans, not goats, although he might have a couple goats too). So it’s definitely possible to balance that with a more traditional, paying career, especially if you’re able to WFH. The farm isn’t income-producing. He shears the sheep when their wool grows too long, but they keep it (his wife knits). I don’t know how much it cost him to buy the land and the animals, but that’s something for you to look into.

If you have land, I’m sure some dog rescue orgs would be interested in letting rescue dogs run around on it. Likewise, some land might be useful to orgs that rescue larger animals.
posted by kevinbelt at 5:32 PM on May 24, 2022 [3 favorites]

Look for animal sanctuaries near you, where you could do more intensive volunteering and get an idea of the organizational side of things for the future? For example, in New York there's Squirrelwood Equine Sanctuary. Despite the name, it's not just horses, but also cows (including the famous Crouton), goats, pigs, donkeys, geese, etc.
posted by praemunire at 5:59 PM on May 24, 2022 [6 favorites]

I'd say your next step is to start looking at properties for sale in your area to figure out what's available in your price range. Could you actually buy a small farm? Or will you need to settle for a house with a few acres? Once you figure out what type of property it's realistic for you to buy, then you find something and buy it. And then you can start doing things on your new space, starting small and gradually expanding if it seems like you have the time and energy. You could start with things like putting up bluebird houses or bat boxes, planting a vegetable garden, planting flowers to attract butterflies, getting chickens or ducks or rabbits or adopting a semi-feral cat who needs a home as a barn cat. Does the rehabilitation center where you volunteer need any additional space? If so, if you end up with enough land of your own maybe you could offer to let them use some of it.

Another step you could take is getting whatever license or permit your state requires to be a wildlife rehabilitator. If you need to take classes or spend time apprenticing with someone, you could get started on that. Then when you have your own little farm you could potentially do rehabilitation there instead of or in addition to volunteering at the center. Maybe you even have the space to take in some baby birds or a squirrel or something where you are now.
posted by Redstart at 6:39 PM on May 24, 2022 [3 favorites]

The typical way to support such an endeavor is to be a non-profit and solicit donations. I'd start with the finances; make as much as you can and buy property, and make it a safe space for animals. I'd recommend vacation time spent on farms or the like; what's satisfying as a volunteer is very different as the proprietor. There's a need for homes for senior pets, who seldom get adopted. You could potentially support an animal venture by running a boarding operation. Americans love cats and dogs, but also love to travel.

It can be very difficult to give up good pay and benefits, so take time and plan.
posted by theora55 at 7:40 PM on May 24, 2022 [1 favorite]

You need to ally with some other people in some way, otherwise any animals that you are caring for will be bereft if you get sick or have to leave, sell the farm, can't do the work, get burned out, etc.

I would look for someone who is already doing this work, and maybe be a fall-back person for them (ideally, one of several -- be careful not to get pulled into an ill-planned burnout desperation situation). You will be doing something _incredibly_ valuable, and you will learn a lot. You can see the details of at least one form of what you envision, and learn if that's what you want or some other variety.

If you live near me, please contact me! I'm not a huge animal rescue person, but I've kept my ears open for a while and might be able to suggest an organization or two that you'd find interesting.
posted by amtho at 8:32 PM on May 24, 2022 [3 favorites]

You might find it interesting to follow Neolithic Shepherd - he's currently raising a rare old breed of sheep (Soay) and recultivating badly-treated land owned by a friend, with some oxen and local organising work thrown in. The more farm-concentrated content is behind a paywall on his Patreon, but the Twitter feed also gives a good overview of concerns in a life like that, warts and all. (And he's a very interesting person.)
posted by I claim sanctuary at 11:02 PM on May 24, 2022 [1 favorite]

It's not clear from your question which animals you want to help. My baseline answer to any general question of this type is to go vegan. Start vegetarian or flexitarian or other midpoint if that helps your process, but that's one very concrete, very practical step.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 11:51 PM on May 24, 2022 [5 favorites]

Maybe WWOOFing would be a good way to gain experience, if you can find a farm that keeps animals?
posted by penguin pie at 11:00 AM on May 25, 2022

Best answer: I work FT to support my little hobby farm (4 horses, 1 dog, 2 cats, modest orchard and garden, a couple of acres of woods), and one thing I will tell you is that "living the dream" is a hell of a lot of work for a single person. I am exhausted and overwhelmed on a regular basis. It's hard to keep the workload manageable because it is mostly stuff I like doing--it's just that there's so much of it. I spend 20-25 hours a week doing farm chores, working/playing with my animals, and property maintenance--basically another half-time job on top of my money job, and that's without getting into anything like chickens or goats or fostering kittens or trying to grow a big enough garden to do a lot of canning, or bringing in rescue pigs or trying to fundraise or coordinate volunteers for anything like that.... Even with just my minimal "farm", it's a lot of work for one person.

As far as practical steps, I would start taking a closer look at the finances involved: prices for properties of the size you're interested in, in the area you're interested in, costs involved for the animals you're interested in keeping (housing, fencing, feed, vet), read blogs and memoirs and watch shows that are honest about the good/bad/ugly of people not from a farming background who taking up hobby-level farming...that kind of thing.
posted by drlith at 8:58 PM on May 25, 2022 [3 favorites]