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In The Beginning ...
The first rescue goats arrived here in 2004 and due to ‘good news travelling fast’ by the Autumn 2006 the calls from members of the public seeking assistance with goats they no longer wanted, had been dumped or were being cruelly treated, etc, started to become more frequent and it was becoming obvious that whether we liked it or not a goat sanctuary had been borne, so Sheena, who runs the Centre, took the plunge (after much convincing from others !!) and Armargos Goat Sanctuary was made ‘official’ with the main aim being to provide a safe haven for all domestic goats in need around the country...
Wooly Orphans
There are similarities between goats and sheep so it was no great surprise when we were joined by orphan lambs and it was a welcome change to watch their antics as they grew and quickly became big and bold ... in the nicest way possible of course !! The photo below shows Shelly and Shirley in May 2008 ...
The Times They Are A Changing ..........
The past 18-24 months have seen Ireland go from a roaring economy to one of recession, our so-called “Celtic Tiger” has been reduced to a very “sickly kitten” and this is having just as big an effect on our animals as on ourselves .. this downturn has led to us taking in a larger ‘variety’ of animals so we changed the word “Goat” to “Animal” in our name.
Ireland is awash with all sizes, makes & shapes of equines that people can no longer afford to keep and their monetary value has decreased dramatically due to the supply & demand becoming so greatly unbalanced. As if this on it’s own was not bad enough it has reached such a low point that it has actually lead to rescues and welfare groups all over the country getting calls from members of the public about abandoned and/or neglected animals during the summer months the number of which usually would not formerly have been witnessed until the middle to end of the winter season when people’s feed and grazing would have run-out.
A lot of owners are also contacting groups directly due to them finding themselves unable to afford feed, livery, farrier & veterinary care. These ‘once valuable’ creatures are now being found abandoned after organised sales, dumped in farms, bogs, woodlands, etc. Prior to the recession we took in equines in need of assistance on a few occasions and over the past couple of months we have increased our efforts, of course as is the case with dogs and cats, they cannot all be saved BUT we will do our best for those we are contacted about whilst remaining fully aware and realistic of what our limitations & resources are.
Due to the recession of course rescues are also seeing a HUGE reduction in donations towards their work and we here are no different ... from January to June 2010 we have only received €225.00 in cash and as you can imagine that would not even cover the feed costs for one month with 20 equines here. As a result of this we are currently thinking of ways which we can subsidise our work by offering complementary care sessions for dogs, cats, equines, etc. If you would be interested in learning more about ways you can assist us checkout our Help Us Help Them page and/or have a look at our “We Offer” page.
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