Heartland Farm Sanctuary executive director Jane Korz gets some love from Sunflower, a Lamancha goat with Sunflower’s daughter, Ash, at right. Their “goat coat” is one of several devices used to keep the farm’s 80 animals warm during Wisconsin’s cold.
Amber Arnold, State Journal
When the temperature drops at Heartland Farm Sanctuary in Verona, it’s easy to walk past a haystack and think nothing of it.
But give that pile of straw a poke, and the three pigs come out wrapped together under blankets, curious whether they’ll get a snack before nesting back under the straw against the winter chill.
The real-life “pigs in a blanket”, they are among about 80 animals being prepared for the coming cold weather at the sanctuary, combined with educational and medical programs for humans, specialized for rescued farm animals. Provides care, the purpose of which is to arouse sympathy and kindness.
Blankets are stitched by volunteers from the First Unitarian Society in Madison. Other pigs get special earmuffs to keep their long, ridged ears warm and dry, with additional habitats created to protect emus, ducks, llamas, and other animals.
Its executive director, Jane Korz, said that while domestic pets are prone to laps or burns, the weather is a unique challenge for farm animals living in sanctuaries like Heartland.
Pigs roam under blankets in a barn stall at Heartland Farm Sanctuary in Verona. The sanctuary’s pigs can use up to five blankets and a lot of straw during the winter.
Amber Arnold, State Journal
“Farm animals have similar needs,” Korz said. “They need access to shelter. They need quality food. They need social interactions, and they need shelter.”
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