NATURE in the NEIGHBORHOOD: A Unique Kingdom at West Place Animal Sanctuary

September 5, 2024

Lauren Parmelee

Newport This Week

Diane

Over in Tiverton lives a queen called Diane, who gently rules her eight-acre kingdom with humor and grace. As royals do, she goes where she wants and eats whatever tasty treats she can find. But for the price of a belly rub, Diane will bestow upon you loving grunts and snuffles that brighten your day.

Diane is a regal pot-bellied pig whose kingdom is the West Place Animal Sanctuary. She shares her home with 300 other animals, including birds, mammals, turtles and fish, most of whom were rescued from unhealthy situations.

This unique farm, founded many years ago by Wendy Taylor, is set against a beautiful backdrop of forest and field. Located on private property, it abuts Pardon Gray Preserve and Weetamoo Woods and is across the street from other farms and Audubon's Emilie Ruecker Wildlife Refuge. Wildlife abounds in these protected habitats, but this special parcel is set aside for domesticated game birds, waterfowl and livestock that were in desperate need of food, shelter, attention and love.

This is also a place where animals welcome the attention of humans, so when I visited, I was not only welcomed by Patrick Cole, West Place's director of Development and Communications, I was also greeted by Francine, a Buff Orpington chicken, and Ankara, a wild turkey with a limp. Many of the animals that find their way here are local, but these two come from farther away.

Clover

Francine was found wandering in the New Hampshire woods, and Ankara was found injured in New York. Both are lucky not to have fallen prey to a wild predator or a speeding car. Francine hasn't been here long, but she has already found a rooster beau, named Ivan, and made friends with Jack, another pot-bellied pig. It is hoped that if Ankara, the turkey, fully recovers, he will be able to return to the wild.

The game bird cottage, with its large pen surrounding a tall evergreen tree, houses long-tailed birds, including three peacocks and a golden-pheasant, as well as ring-necked pheasants and several boisterous guinea fowl. It is peacock molting season, so their tails look a bit bedraggled, but volunteers turn the molted feathers into beautiful peacock jewelry.

As a birder, I like to admire wild birds up close, but it takes patience, stealth and silence to do it. Here at West Place, the birds come to you and there is nothing quiet about it. Bruce and Cybill, named for the stars of the TV detective show, Moonlighting, waddle right up to me at full volume to see who I think I am stepping onto their lawn.

At first glance, I thought these large white geese were the same breed, but as they stood close to me, I realized that Cybill has a big yellow knob on her beak, distinctive of the Chinese white goose. Bruce, on the other hand, is an Emden goose, a breed that originated in Germany. As the two geese were honking away at me, a small squadron of ducks also make their appearance, waddling up and quacking away.

In the paddock next to the barn, Cole introduces me to Clover the emu, who came from a family farm that had to downsize and could no longer give her the care she needed. Clover comes right up to the fence, so I can see her large ear holes on the side of her head and touch her unique emu feathers that are so different from other birds. Emu are large, flightless birds that are endemic to Australia, and like their cousins, the ostrich, are often raised for their meat, oil and feathers. Clover, however, is now safe from that process and will spend the rest of her life at the farm.

Jack

In the same paddock are a contented family of sheep, and two of my favorite domestic animals, Amber and Sadie. I don't know what it is about goats, perhaps it is their ears or their antics, but if I had a farm, I would have goats. Of course, this is only a daydream, because I can see at West Place just how much work and expense goes into caring for these animals. Almost 100 volunteers contribute their time, money and energy to help these animals recover from injury and disease and live their best lives. I'll stick with my cat, thank you.

As Cole leads me to the back fields to see the alpacas, donkeys and Gracie, the miniature horse, we pass three substantial green houses where vegetables, herbs and flowers are grown. Most farm animals are herbivores or omnivores, which means they need a lot of plant material to fill their bellies, so donations of healthy food are welcomed. The day before I visited, A Market in Newport had brought fruits and veggies, so the animals enjoyed an afternoon feast of melons and greens.

As a small working farm, the staff and volunteers have put several sustainable practices into place that help enhance the health of the soil. Composting turns all the manure and left-over plant materials into healthy soil additives, and burn piles reduce wood and cardboard into ash that is added to the compost or mixed directly into the soil. Rotational grazing methods keep the cows and sheep from eating every blade of grass in a field, which would result in mud, not fodder.

One of the key takeaways that I got from visiting West Place is the clear reminder that before you purchase or adopt an animal, whether it be a cute little duck, chick, turtle, lamb or goat, consider what they need to maintain their health and well-being, how big they will get and how long they live. As Cole put it, "We would love to put ourselves out of business, but as long as people abandon, neglect or surrender their animals, we have work to do."

I went to West Place Animal Sanctuary to get a sense of what the public will experience at their upcoming Visitor Weekend, taking place on Sept. 7-8. Celebrating 18 years as a nonprofit dedicated primarily to the rescue and care of farm animals, Visitor Weekends only take place three times each year. A learning experience for all ages, you should seize this opportunity to explore this unique place and meet the wonderful creatures that call it home.

To sign up for a tour, visit westplace.org.