WAN Exclusive! Meet Kindred Spirits Farm Sanctuary

This past week I had the pleasure of getting to know someone truly exceptional. She personifies living with passion and dedication while continuing to contribute a great deal to so many others and the wellbeing of our planet.

​Her name is Logan Vindett, and she is the director of Kindred Spirits Sanctuary in Ocala, Florida. Currently, she and her husband care for over 140 animals including horses, cows, goats, sheep, pigs, chickens and more.

“The Sanctuary is located on 36 beautiful acres, while residents receive around-the-clock care, high quality diets, spacious barns and green pastures in which to laze and graze. Most importantly, they are treated as individuals and given a loving, peaceful environment where they can live without pain, hunger or fear of exploitation for the remainder of their natural lives.”

​Her story is rather unique and extremely inspiring. Logan’s journey of animal care began as a zookeeper, where she was shocked to experience many things, one of them being that the animals there received very little of the actual care they require, and of course, deserve. Much of the money and resources, she found, did not go directly to help them, as it was intended. She witnessed the malnutrition of some of the animals, and lack of veterinary assistance which is imperative for them to thrive considering they are already at a disadvantage, not being in their natural habitat while being held captive in a synthetic environment.  This particular zoo has since closed.

Prior to that point, she was still eating meat, and, it wasn’t until she saw the suffering they experienced she decided to give up eating animal products all together, adopting a vegan lifestyle. ​

Logan’s appreciation and love for these animals at the sanctuary is quite amazing. She kindly shared with me, “I think when you are exposed to farm animals as I am, you quickly learn that they are no different from any other pet we value, such as your family dog or cat. People tend to look at a Golden Retriever, thinking, ‘Oh, he has a wonderful personality, and he’s so sweet! I’d love to get to know him.’ Well, these animals are exactly the same.  ​

We are kept away from them deliberately by the system, so we don’t form a meaningful bond with them, or confronted with the fact that these are living, breathing and feeling beings that behave a lot like our pets at home.”

She further explained, “My husband and I had a pet pig, and she was the main reason he never ate bacon, ham or pork again. Once you get to know someone, it’s very hard to justify eating them.”

She told the story of her darling pet chicken beginning with “Once we had a group of chickens brought to us, and one was extremely sick, and I brought her in my house to live with me as I took care of her, and she became one of the animals I had the closest bonds with in my life. She would rest on my shoulder; everywhere I went she followed me around. She made me realize, ‘Oh my gosh! She has the same feelings as my other pets!  Chickens are the one animal I feel people are not connected to at all. It is the most widely consumed meat. They are so different from what we’re used to experiencing, and we think they aren’t smart or social. Yet, once you get to know them,you realize they are smart and can be personal animals.” ​​​​​​​​​​​​    ​​

“My Chicken’s name was Olivia, she was so connected with me, and it was just so eye opening. If I was sitting down, she would jump in my lap, snuggle and relax with me. Another chicken we have, Gingerbread, if you hold her, she falls asleep. That’s why, when we host tours, we make sure to show people their nature and how friendly they can be. If you’ve never been around them, there is a lack of consideration for them, usually.”

​Kindred Spirits is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to ending the abuse and suffering of farm animals through direct rescue, advocacy, and education. We seek to provide a place where people can connect with these sentient beings and discover their unique (and often humorous!) personalities.

At Kindred Spirits, farm animals are friends, not food. They are passionate about helping others form bonds with these remarkable animals, and also give tours regularly.

“Our sanctuary invites you to come and give a pig a belly rub, or get a kiss from a cow!”

Volunteers are also welcome to join “Work Parties” and are invaluable to its rescue work. Kindred Spirits states, “Farm animals are exploited every day in our society and are subject to some of the most horrendous forms of harassment, abuse, and neglect. Industrialized or factory farming operates on the basic premise that farm animals are mere commodities, not thinking, feeling beings. Animals that exist in these factories suffer in silence. It’s our mission to change that!”  And wonderfully, they are doing just that.​

Please visit Kindred Spirits website HERE to donate or volunteer today!