The sanctuary is on a 25 acre property located 15 minutes from Launceston, Tasmania. The sanctuary provides a safe haven for many different species of animals. Some have been rescued, such as the battery hens and others needed new homes for various reasons, including neglect, mistreatment or abandonment.

All animals live in harmony with each other and with us, their human guardians.

The animals at the sanctuary are provided with shelter, food, veterinary care and the freedom to engage in all their natural behaviours. The rabbits burrow and make warrens, the cows and donkeys graze and the pigs root around in the mud. We are a ‘no kill’ Sanctuary. Big Ears Animal Sanctuary is different to animal shelters in that the majority of the animals here are not moved onto other people. This is their home, a safe place for them to live out the rest of their days.

We believe there is no ‘difference’ between companion animals and animals slaughtered for food, clothes or experimentation. All animals are capable of experiencing the same emotions as humans, such as sadness or joy (one only has to observe a rabbit doing a ‘binky’ to know this). We abhor the cruelty caused by modern factory farming techniques such as battery hen systems and confinement pig farming, believing it not only similar to concentration camps but also damaging to the health of the human consumers of these products.

We respect life of all forms and aim to show compassion and kindness to the creatures that have no voice in this world. We believe that being human gives us the responsibility to care, educate and work towards changing attitudes about the “us” and “them” mentality. After all, it wasn’t so long ago that women were considered property and there was a system in South Africa called apartheid. As we have seen these things change, we hope that one day the world will change how it treats and views animals. This is what we are passionate about and what we strive for.