NOVEMBER 2024

Dear readers,

The newsletter is back. An eventful and emotional month full of both heartache and joy lies behind us. We're taking you back with us in spirit to our sanctuary, Finca Noah.
A month where, as a person and as an animal welfare advocate, you reach your limits.

Severely injured on a holiday!

A rabbit is a small, sweet, adorable, fluffy, and always friendly animal. Many of us surely had a rabbit as children in our bedrooms, on terraces, or in gardens. Here at Finca Noah, we've built a safe enclosure of about 200 square meters for our little hopping fur-friends. Plenty of space for everyone to stay out of each other's way when they just want to laze around in the sun.
We found our rabbit Blue one morning with a wound on her back and rear, where her little stub tail is. Usually, with small wounds, it's no problem for us to handle initial care—cleaning and disinfecting the wound. But this case wasn't so straightforward, though it was absolutely necessary. We had to act, even though it really wasn't a pleasant task. All the vets were closed due to a holiday. But that doesn't stop us from helping an animal in need. The wound was crawling with maggots. We removed every single one with tweezers. Blue bravely endured it all. She held still and was surely relieved when we'd finally removed them all after what felt like an eternity. The next day, the vet decided to close the wound. Blue had surgery. Rabbits can suffer cardiac arrest during stressful situations, so surgery carries high risk. But we wanted to relieve the little one's pain and decided to proceed with the operation. Thankfully, it went very well. The wound was closed and the scar healed. After two weeks of lonely quarantine, Blue had to return to the vet. Two large lumps had grown on her belly that definitely shouldn't be there. After three days of antibiotic treatment, they grew larger instead of smaller. Another vet visit with an ultrasound revealed they were likely tumors that, given their size, couldn't be removed. Tremendous suffering for little Blue. We really tried everything to nurse her back to health. We cared for her multiple times a day so her surgical scar would heal properly, and to prevent infection. But we didn't want to put her through another surgery with very little chance of recovery. I accompanied her as she peacefully fell asleep and found a dignified place where she now rests peacefully.
Rest well, little Blue, you were such a brave little treasure.
Unfortunately, this is also part of animal welfare. Being able to let animals go. It's something you have to learn; it's really not an easy task.

Another shock moment with a good outcome!

Our mare Nebraska, I've already introduced her to you before. She had a tumor removed and recovered very well from that surgery, which was quite some time ago. Two weeks ago, Nebraska was lying on the ground; she was really struggling to stay on her feet. Worried that Nebraska had become seriously ill again, we called our equine vet Barbara. Some of you may remember her from treating our sheep Angel. Barbara knows the way to Finca Noah very well. Based on what she heard on the phone, Barbara suspected colic—and every minute counts. Colic can be fatal. Nebraska had to have a stomach flush. In the end, Nebraska had a liquid with vaseline flushed into her stomach via a tube passed through her nose. This should help her eat apples again. The stomach flush really seemed to help her, because after we regularly led her on a lead rope around the riding arena and kept her away from food, she visibly improved. After just one day, she was completely back to her old self.

Last-minute rescue!

Barely had Barbara left the property when she had to turn around again.
We were by now on our morning rounds, visiting our donkey Pablo and the proud Argos. The horse Argos was lying motionless on the muddy ground of his enclosure. The constant rain from the previous days had turned the ground into real mud patches in places.
Argos also had colic, just like Nebraska. What Nebraska had to endure, Argos had to bear as well. Toward evening, his health deteriorated rapidly. We really struggled to get him to stand up. A horse weighing about 500 kilos has to be gotten back on its feet first. Barbara came to us three times that day. In the middle of the night, she made her way to us. She had to give Argos another stomach flush. Plus a liquid from an IV. Throughout the night, we went to him every two hours and had to move him. The next morning, Barbara was back at Finca Noah, because Argos still wasn't doing better. She decided that Argos needed to go to the clinic. A horse transport was quickly organized. Again, every minute counted. Barely had Argos arrived at the clinic when the phone rang. Argos had to be operated on immediately. He had a knot in his stomach that would be fatal if not operated on quickly. As we moved Argos every two hours that night, we sought advice from experts about what we could do to help him as quickly as possible. We were advised to have him euthanized. Surgery would be very expensive, and the long-term consequences were unpredictable. Once again, we had to make a decision. We decided that Argos had a right to life. Argos came to Finca Noah about four years ago; he was in very poor condition. With us, he was able to slowly recover and regain trust in people.
Back then, he was given a chance at life, and we didn't want to take that away from him now.
The surgery went well. The vet was very satisfied with the recovery and the outcome. Argos was discharged from the clinic and transferred to rehabilitation. There, Argos received professional care tailored to his needs until he could safely come home. After 14 days, the time had come. Argos had been sorely missed by his friend Pablo. The joy of reunion was enormous. Such a beautiful moment that brought us to tears.
These are exactly the moments that show us it's worth fighting for. Despite all the worries, all the effort, all the costs, we feel we did the right thing. Now horse and donkey are enjoying their companionship again, and it's such a joy to witness.

Salto Benefit Gala

We are all still overwhelmed.
Overwhelmed by so much support, compassion, encouragement, and solidarity.
At the beginning of 2024, something happened that we never expected. We could never have imagined that such malicious people existed who would trigger a wave of despair, fear, and bewilderment. Once the full extent of the charges became clear to us, we decided to share with you—our friends, fans, families, and faithful animal lovers—what had befallen us and our animals. We were deeply moved by how much encouragement, offers of help, and willingness to donate you showed us.
These are exceptional situations that make you grow beyond yourself.
So we looked forward and decided: we fight!
Giving up and letting the animals down again was never an option for us. We promised each and every animal when we rescued them that everything would be okay from now on.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who supported us in any way. The Salto circus family made us an offer that we initially couldn't believe. A benefit gala in aid of Animal Police, for the benefit of the animals. The proceeds from ticket sales for the opening show go entirely as a donation to Animal Police. Such generous support comes around only once in a lifetime. Gregory Knie and Anja Walder, very good friends of Farah de Tomi, have both already visited Finca Noah, and like us, they love animals. They didn't hesitate to help us when they learned of our serious situation. When the idea for a benefit gala was born, we left nothing to chance and immediately began preparations. For three whole months, we worked toward that big day, looked forward to it, planned, organized…
Again and again, we were pleasantly surprised by how much support we received. Many celebrities and personalities supported us. Without hesitation, they agreed to help us.
A glimmer of hope that repeatedly gave us the strength to fight. We fight for the welfare of the animals, because that lies so close to the heart of Farah de Tomi, the founder of the Swiss animal welfare association Animal Police. For the first time in her life, she had to ask for help. The first time she didn't have a Plan B, and didn't know how to move forward.
In such difficult times, you really get to know the people, friends, and family. We were surprised by how many people supported us whom we don't even know personally. And disappointed again by people who apparently are only friends when the sun is shining.
Patricia Kelly's live performance was the highlight. With her performance, with her support, she wanted to show how grateful Animal Police is for the tireless effort we make day in and day out.
We all spent an unforgettable evening on November 27, 2024, in Kloten and accomplished something truly great.
Through your wonderful support, we see a chance to continue providing the animals with a safe home. We continue to rely on donations to achieve our goal of buying a farm for the animals.
We are still overwhelmed, and our gratitude cannot be put into words. All we can say is:
In the name of the animals, we say to each and every one of you again, THANK YOU!
It means so much to us to know that there are people like you who stand behind us and fight together for the animals.
Together, we give the animals a voice.
Thank you!