Animal abuse can often happen at home with dogs and cats. But that doesn't mean that larger animals aren't subjected to hateful behavior. Thankfully, there are plenty of people out there who want to see these beautiful animals thrive. One of their biggest supporters is Christopher Vane.
Christopher started up the Little Bear Sanctuary all thanks to his mom, Ursula. While Ursula has since passed away, Christopher remembers one very important wish she had. "When I die, I'm going to have a barn up in heaven," she said. "And I'm going to have all the animals and they're going to stay with me."
While Ursula never got a chance to see Little Bear Sanctuary, she'd be happy to know that it was named after her. After all, the name Ursula stands for "Little Bear." The sanctuary is one of the best tributes of all time, and very helpful for the farm animals in need.
"She was my biggest supporter," Christopher told Today. "She taught me compassion."
And she always cared for animals — so this path in life would make a lot of sense to her. "She always loved animals," Christopher continued. "I know she's looking down on us."
Little Bear Sanctuary is still fairly new. It started in 2017 and is known best for rescuing farm animals that have been hoarded and poorly taken care of. Aside from cows and goats, it also houses animals like Keisha, a 15-year-old tortoise. There are also five rescue dogs on the property.
The sanctuary is also housing two very special pigs who have a very strong friendship. There's Elvis the potbellied pig and his buddy Casper, who's a 1,000-pound Yorkshire pig. They don't let their size differences stop them from having fun together.
The sanctuary is officially located in Punta Gorda, Florida. Its mission is to make sure that every animal in its care gets to live a cruelty-free life. "We are committed not only to a vegan lifestyle but the much needed education of pigs as pets," the website states. "Our animals are never kept in cages or pens and are free to roam in their natural habitat."
Not all of the animals in Christopher's care were necessarily abused. Some of them come from situations where their past owners died and they had nowhere else to turn. No matter what, every animal that comes to Little Bear Sanctuary is properly loved and cared for by a dedicated team.
When asked about his favorite animal at the sanctuary, Christopher had a tough time responding. Obviously, they're all special in different ways. However, he has an extra fondness for the very first resident at the sanctuary — a 300-pound pig named Willy.
According to Christopher, Willy has a very sweet yet distinct personality. In fact, he may act a little more like a giant dog than a pig. "He greets everybody and he loves his belly rubs," Christopher said. It may also be why Christopher seems to especially have a fondness for pigs.
In fact, aside from being an executive director at Little Bear Sanctuary, Christopher also helps out with pig education. In his eyes, many pigs need to be rescued since people adopt them when they're small and then realize they're too difficult to take care of as the pigs grow larger.
When Willy came to the sanctuary, he had a hidden talent. He knew how to sit down for a treat. While this is cute, it's even more adorable to learn that Willy ended up teaching the other pigs how to perform this same trick. "I've heard that pigs teach each other stuff," Christopher said. "But to see that in real life was pretty amazing. It just kind of cements their intelligence."
Helping educate others on pigs is also a good way to avoid people improperly caring for them. Christopher knows that gaining weight and getting big are all part of a pig's regular life. Even when someone thinks they're purchasing a mini pig as a pet, it's usually a scam. The pigs grow and suddenly become too big for the home.
"We actually had to stop taking people's pet pigs because I think it's become a crisis," Christopher admitted to Today. Prior to helping save pigs, Christopher held onto many jobs. He was a real estate agent, a physician assistant, and a veterinary technician before taking on this project.
One of Christopher's biggest supporters is his husband, Randy Sellers. Randy helps Christopher with the sanctuary and also has a secondary job. "He's a great support," Christopher admitted. "I don't know what I would do without him."
According to Christopher, working with the animals has been a great way to handle any type of grief he had upon losing his mother. Those with such big losses often don't process them quickly. But being around the animals does help, as it's just what his mom always envisioned.
"Every day when I walk outside the house, it just makes me smile," Christopher said. "You can't be depressed here. These animals just change your day." Since he changed their entire lives, it must be beautiful payback. This sanctuary is giving these animals another shot at life.
There are many ways you can support Little Bear Sanctuary. You can sponsor a farm animal, volunteer, or give a donation to help keep the place running. It also has an Amazon wish list, if you want to buy items directly for the animals.
