Ferne Animal Sanctuary

Story

Ferne Animal Sanctuary was founded in August 1939 by Nina, Duchess of Hamilton and Brandon, who had co-founded an anti-vivisection society decades earlier. At the outbreak of the Second World War she broadcast an appeal on the BBC for homes for pets left behind by people going to war, and opened her Ferne Estate near Shaftesbury to them. In 1975 the sanctuary moved to Wambrook, near Chard, in Somerset’s Blackdown Hills.

Today it cares for around 300 residents, including farm animals, horses, dogs, cats, rabbits and birds. Alongside its permanent residents, Ferne rescues and rehomes a large number of animals each year.

Visitors are welcome, but the public may not handle or feed the animals, and residents can stay out of sight if they choose.

Official Website

ferneanimalsanctuary.org

Location

Wambrook, near Chard, Somerset, England

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