—— FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ——-
Paul R. Turner
301 880 1107
Contact@Julianasfarm.org
Crowdfunding campaign supports Colombia’s only animal sanctuary
Urgent funds needed to help save Pola the Pig and 60+ animals living at the sanctuary.
Colombia, South America (August 26, 2015) — Animals in Colombia face shocking cruelty every day. From the hundreds of thousands of starving dogs roaming the streets to the millions of animals raised for food. Compassion for these individuals is hard to come by. They face unthinkable amounts of neglect and abuse and are not protected by any laws.
Juliana’s Animal Sanctuary is the only place in Colombia that offers farmed and domestic animals a safe haven. And as long as it exists, animals in Colombia will have hope for a better future. Every day, the passionate, hardworking individuals at Juliana’s Animal Sanctuary provide compassion and love to more than 60 rescued animals – including Pola the “freedom-fighting” Pig, who was rescued from a horrific situation – living in filth amongst 180 hungry dogs who would constantly attack her. Pola gets her name from the famous teenage freedom fighter “La Pola” who gave her life for Colombian independence. Pola, the pig was rescued on Colombia’s independence day, July 21.
The sanctuary was co-founded by Juliana Castaneda Turner whom, at only 11 years old, began saving money to open her own sanctuary. At 26, she was able to purchase a small plot of land with help of her friend Ekala and a small loan from the bank, and in 2009, her sanctuary officially opened with nine dogs, one cow, a baby calf, and a horse.
However, last year, due to land disputes, the animals had to be moved to a temporary property that is now being rented. So Juliana is turning to crowdfunding for survival. Using the crowdfunding platform, YouCaring.com, Juliana’s Animal Sanctuary is hoping to raise $25,000 that will help to pay for maintaining the sanctuary, including land rent, veterinary visits, food for the animals, repairs, and utilities. Since launching the campaign on August 16, the campaign has already raised over $5,500.
Earlier this year, Mark Pontius from the popular band Foster the People visited the sanctuary and praised the work:
“So happy to see your two wonderful new family members, Pola and Perla! Keep up the great work down there! I’m always rooting for you guys!”
Jane Velez-Mitchell, an award-winning television journalist and bestselling author, recently posted on her Facebook page,
“Please watch this wonderful video about the miraculous transformation of a pig named Pola and the incredible sanctuary that saved her! They need help! I just pitched in. Whatever you can give will save lives!”
Next year, Juliana plans to purchase a new property where she can permanently protect the rescued animals under her care. “For now, though, I just need to secure their safety for another year,” she said.
About Juliana’s Animal Sanctuary
Co-founded in 2009 by Juliana Castaneda Turner and Ekala Isvara, Juliana’s Animal Sanctuary is located in the Andes Mountains of Colombia, but is a registered 501c3 non-profit in the USA. It was recently voted VEGAN OF THE YEAR 2014 by Vegans Are Cool and is the official partner of Paul McCartney’s Meat-free Monday Campaign. Volunteers at the sanctuary are dedicated to caring for rescued animals including dogs, cats, a horse, pigs, rabbits, chickens, a cow and a bullock, along with educating people about how and why we have to respect animals as equals.
Crowdfunding website: http://www.youcaring.com/pola
YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/joUZ_wlPV1U
Charity website: https://julianasanimalsanctuary.org
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/vegananimalshelter
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