Buffy
Buffy was found less than ½ mile from a live market in St. Paul. Live markets are traumatizing environments for farmed animals; they live in a slaughterhouse – with the sounds and smells of slaughter surrounding them – waiting for their turn to die. Perhaps it is not surprising that Buffy fought for her life and escaped. Knowing Buffy now it doesn’t surprise us one bit, she has a fighting spirit!
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After escaping, she spent a few days on the run in an industrial area of South St. Paul. She quickly became a local social media favorite and one of our supporters reached out to let us know about this adorable girl on the loose. With the assistance of the local police department, we were able to safely rescue Buffy the same day we learned about her and bring her to the University of Minnesota for veterinary care.
Iggy
Iggy caught the attention of the local media as he wandered the suburb of Inver Grove Heights, MN for over a week. No one knows where he came from or how he came to be loose on his own in the suburbs. Luckily, he was compassionately captured by the Inver Grove Heights Police Department. Once Iggy was safely in their care, they reached out to Farmaste to find him a forever home. You can read more about his time as a wanted goat here.
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Iggy has settled in well to sanctuary life! He fit in very easily with our other goats – he is a bit of a charmer with the girls. We think he knows how handsome he is! He loves getting into mischief with Kristen and Buffy. When Iggy first arrived, he was very skittish and rarely allowed humans to get close. Over time, he learned to trust his caregivers and now will regularly will give them a gentle nudge for attention. We can’t imagine Farmaste without Iggy and his bigger-than-life personality!
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Check out our press page for more coverage of Iggy's antics.
Kristen
Kristen, along with her friends Beata & Clarice who passed away in early 2020, was rescued from a small goat dairy farm in western Minnesota. The owner of the farm was looking to downsize her operation and was happy to find a place where her goats could live out their lives in peace. Despite living on a small family farm, Kristen came to us in poor health. She had issues with her udder - it had recently been punctured by a stick, and without proper care, it became severely infected. Because of their health issues, all three goats spent several days at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Hospital and Kristen had a full mastectomy.
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Kristen loves farm sanctuary life and peacefully living out her retirement. She suffers from arthritis due to her age and CAE (caprine arthritis encephalitis) status - it is treated with pain medication as needed to keep her as happy and healthy as possible! Kristen is playful and feisty despite her age - she spends her days hanging out with Buffy and Iggy and occasionally challenging them to a friendly duel.
Willow & Otis
Willow & Otis are Nubian goats born in April 2019. Willow sustained damage to her front leg during a traumatic birth. Otis scratched his cornea during birth and developed an ulceration on his eye. Born onto a goat dairy farm unable to care for their injuries, those twists of fate brought Willow & Otis to Farmaste.
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After wearing a splint on her injured leg for a short time, Willow fully recovered - that was all that was needed to correct her injury! Otis also recovered quickly – after a series of eye drops the scratch and ulceration healed and he regained vision in his eye.
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Everyone who meets Otis & Willow falls in love with them. They are true goats, full of energy, bounciness, and mischief! And the best ears on the farm...
Blossom
Blossom joined Farmaste on July 4, 2021 after claiming her own independence! While we aren’t sure of her background, she is believed to have escaped from a nearby live market. She was found wandering South Saint Paul with a $350 price tag in her ear.
Blossom was extremely anxious when she arrived at Farmaste. Although progress has been slow it has been steady. She is becoming more comfortable with her caregivers, even accepting occasional scratches! She loves her goat family and is strongly bonded with her herd. She was recently introduced to Lillibet, her new stall-mate and hopefully future best friend.
Lillibet
Lillibet, a Nigerian Dwarf goat, arrived at Farmaste in December 2022. She came to Farmaste from Michigan Humane after they found her as a stray in Detroit. She was found tied to a tree with a rope around her neck that was deeply embedded indicating it had been there awhile. We are happy to report that under Michigan Humane’s care, her neck is healing and she has begun to gain weight.
Lillibet, a very friendly and outgoing 1-year-old, has joined Blossom in her pasture. While Blossom has bonded with other members of her goat herd, it will enrich her life and hopefully decrease her anxiety to have another goat with her inside her jump-proof area (she has special 8-foot fencing given her jumping skills). We are hopeful Lillibet will be the perfect fit! In addition to her calm demeanor, Lillibet has a contagious disease (caseous lymphadenitis) that Blossom already has as well. It is often difficult to find homes for goats with CL, so it is a win/win situation for both Lilibet and Blossom!
Please consider sponsoring one of our animals to cover the costs of their ongoing care. Thank you!