Pictured are two recently rescued sheep, left, Sunita, rescued from slaughter in 2019.
When the Pennsylvania SPCA Danville Center investigated reports of cruelty and neglect at a central Pennsylvania farm, humane police officers were horrified.
They found a small herd of cows and sheep living without adequate food, water and shelter from the harsh winter weather. The animals were emaciated. Some were so weak they could not stand up; they laid covered in filth on the frozen ground. Indraloka Animal Sanctuary in Dalton, coordinated with the Danville humane officers to assist with the rescue and make sure the animals all would receive the care they need.
“Every time we participate in one of these rescues, the humane officers and our staff ask each other the same questions. ‘How can anyone do this to gentle, sweet, vulnerable animals? How do we continue this work ourselves when it’s so heart-wrenching?’” Indra Lahiri, PhD, Indraloka’s founder, says. “The answer is always the same: Because in rescuing them, we rescue ourselves and bring our world a bit more back into balance.”
Support from NEPA’s generous, compassionate community enables rescues like this. Two pregnant ewes arrived at Indraloka — where they will give birth under veterinary care and remain with their babies for the rest of their lives. They will know they are well cared for and loved.
“This rescue is particularly traumatic. Sheep are friendly, curious and very sensitive animals by nature. They’re among the gentlest of creatures, and we are as close to our sheep as we are to our dogs, with the same strong bond,” Lahiri said. “The newly rescued ewes cowered when we reached out a kind hand to welcome them. We can only imagine the cruelty they suffered to react with such terror.”
Since its inception nearly 20 years ago, Indraloka has more than quadrupled the number of animals it rescues and provides lifelong care for, the acreage of land necessary to provide ample grazing and the number of barns needed to house the nearly 200 beloved animals that now live at the sanctuary.
While Indraloka’s mission will always center on the rescue, rehabilitation and care for farmed animals in need, the sanctuary has adopted a second primary mission: pioneering educational curricula that expose children to science, technology, engineering, arts, music and mathematics instruction in an environment where kindness, compassion and respect for all beings informs every lesson plan. All of this is possible because of the generous and loving support of our NEPA community.
To contribute to Indraloka’s rescue fund, visit the sanctuary’s website, Facebook page or Instagram feed.
“Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake,” Martin Luther King, Jr.
