Willows Animal Sanctuary

Yesterday we visited Willows Animal Sanctuary just north of Aberdeen. They rescue abandoned farm and domestic animals and give them a home to live out the rest of their lives in peace. They’re a charity entirely dependent on donations and have struggled over the past few years, first with covid, now with the cost of living crisis. We have supported them for a couple of years now with a monthly donation and after our visit yesterday I can see it is money well spent.

If you’re ever feeling down about the world and about the selfishness of humanity in particular which gets me down quite often, then Willows is the place to go to lift your sprits. They really put all the animals first and it’s obvious how well cared for and how well run the whole place is that you leave it feeling like your faith in humanity is restored.

They have a cat hotel for stray, feral, and unwanted domestic cats. They’ve got over 50 cats that have the run of the whole farm in addition to their own barn with beds, food, and water on permanent supply.

They’ve got horses, donkeys, and ponies.

Lots of sheep.

Pigs

The pigs have a huge paddock with muddy pond and lots of accommodation filled with straw.

This cat was in one of the sheep pens.

There are rabbits.

And guinea pigs.

These owls are not a native species and cannot be released into the wild. They were going to be destroyed until Willows stepped in to provide a home for them.

One of the sheep was very friendly and seemed to enjoy getting a head rub from Elizabeth.

There were also goats and a llama.

It’s wasn’t just seeing the animals treated so well that was uplifting. The whole place is inspiring – they have a large healthy pond that’s teeming with life as well as a lovely memorial garden full of insect homes and bird life. Their café sells only vegan