Former Meat Lover Turns Ranch Into Animal Sanctuary
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Vegan lifestyle articles that discuss ways of living in peace with humans, animals, and the environment.


FROM

Ari Solomon, Mercy for Animals (MFA)
May 2016

My goal is to promote the concept of compassion. Now that I’m on the other side with the personal journey I’ve taken, I can show how important it is for a person’s ideas to evolve.

A heartwarming piece in this week’s San Diego Tribune tells the story of John Fiske, a local lawyer turned animal advocate.

Not too long ago, Fiske was a grass-fed beef fan, believing “he was doing right by the cows and the planet.” But that changed thanks to inspiration from his vegetarian girlfriend and the documentary Cowspiracy.

john fiske
Photo: Charlie Neuman / San Diego Tribune

As an eco-lawyer, Fiske says he couldn’t argue with the facts and figures in Cowspiracy, which holds that a vegan diet is essential to curbing climate change.

But it was more than that.

Fiske’s heart opened to the plight of animals who suffer needlessly just to end up on someone’s plate: “Our society has drawn a line between eating cows and pigs, and eating dogs and cats and there’s no real reason for it.”


Photo: Charlie Neuman / San Diego Tribune

So he decided to turn his 2.5-acre ranch into a sanctuary for rescued animals. Current residents include a pig, two hens, and four horses. A German Shepherd and a few goats are on the way. His goal is to raise awareness, find homes for slaughterhouse-bound animals, and hopefully build a network of compassionate ranchers.

“My goal is to promote the concept of compassion. Now that I’m on the other side with the personal journey I’ve taken, I can show how important it is for a person’s ideas to evolve,” says Fiske.


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