Summer Issue 2006

Issue 2, 2003

At the end of May my husband and I visited England to attend a wedding. We decided to combine this with a visit to EASE (Environmental Animal Sanctuary and Education). We know Melinda Hill and her husband from when they worked and lived in the Netherlands, and it was good to meet Mel again and find out what she was up to. As we approached EASE, we could see the horses grazing happily; Jill, one of the volunteers, was returning from a walk with the goats, Zig and Zag; and John, another volunteer, was doing some carpentry work. We were welcomed by Mel with great enthusiasm and warmth and were introduced to the animals and everyone helping on site.

EASE is situated in a lovely part of Hertfordshire (north of London) and looking around, you see fields and the occasional polo player on horseback (a polo club is sited next door). There is a feeling of peace in the area, removed as it is from the hustle and bustle of London - a great place to offer animals a safe haven to (re)learn and heal until they can find a new home. During our visit the goats Zig and Zag welcomed us into the family by butting their heads against our legs in a friendly way; and we learnt that it is better to not feed young horses by hand as they then learn that hands are to do with food and might develop the habit of nipping. We were also witnesses to a passion play between three fillies and Rusty, a smaller pony who challenged the fillies, which resulted in a lot of chasing around the paddock. All in all we were touched by the harmony and peace in this place, which is welcoming for both humans and animals - which is exactly Mel’s intention as we later discovered. We arrived too late to actually help much at the sanctuary but both my husband and I were able to do a small job as a contribution to this initiative of a team of people, headed up by the ever-spirited and humorous Mel, who want to see a better situation for animals in this world. This interview with Mel tells us the story of how the first steps were made and what EASE might become…

When you look at your life, have you always had a strong feeling and connection with animals?

Yes, I’ve had a strong love for animals and pets throughout my life. When I look back, some of the milestones in my childhood were very much tied up with animals. I remember clearly at the age of 12 discovering the existence of vivisection, and I was absolutely horrified at the things humans do to animals. As we get older, we learn to rationalise the need for vivisection, but I don’t believe that rationalisation is necessarily the best thing, as we can desensitise ourselves from what is a very natural denial of a horrendous cruelty. My life has been punctuated by instances to do with animals. I remember when I started working in London, and then later in Rotterdam (the Netherlands), I used to go out at lunchtime to feed the birds or find some cats to play with, which would always give me a feeling of wellbeing and act as a balance to the stresses of modern city life. For a long time I had a dream that maybe one day I might start an animal sanctuary, and then one-day this dream started to become a reality.

What events led to you starting EASE?

A few things came together at the same time. I was in the middle of my thirties and I was facing the fact of having another 30 years of working life ahead of me but not really wanting to continue on the route that I was on, working in an office. I wanted to do something which would benefit animals and people, something where at the end of the day I could come home and feel satisfied about what I had put into the world that day. I also asked myself whether there was anything that at the end of my life I would look back on and regret? And the only thing I could see I might regret was if I had never tried to build an animal sanctuary along the lines I believe one could be run. It wasn’t so much whether such a sanctuary would be successful that was important, but more the fact that I would have at least tried to build it. And then my husband, who was working as a charity executive, gave me some ideas about how such a sanctuary might work and about how to set up a charity. So I thought to myself, “Well let’s try it, and go for it!” That was two years ago now and it has been a journey of great learning - both about animals and running a charity, and about myself.

Can you give us a short storyline of what has happened so far?

It has been two years since we started the charity and eighteen months since we started to take in animals. We began with rescuing ponies, mainly as ponies are the easiest animals to take care of from a time standpoint, as everyone in the team, including myself, works for a living and can’t be full time looking after the animals. To be honest, fools rush in where angels fear to tread! We went to an auction for native British ponies from the New Forest and we got three foals, partly as a rescue mission but also to make a particular point. This point is that in England at least - and perhaps in other countries in Europe - native ponies live more or less wild and, by their being allowed to breed indiscriminately, there is a surplus of cross-bred ponies that no one particularly wants and so they often go to slaughter at a very young age. We feel this is unnecessary because the ponies themselves are fine little animals - they can be excellent companion animals and they make good working ponies. But because they are a crossbreed, rather like a mongrel dog, they have minimal value in the eyes of the equine society. We wanted to take these three foals and help them to grow into good, social, working ponies - which we have done, so I’m very satisfied with that.

We didn’t quite appreciate what we were taking on, because it is a lot of work to train a young, untamed animal which has had no experience with humans and which has been abruptly taken away from its home and its herd. We use a particular method, the Monty Roberts method also known as ‘horse whispering’, which works using equine body language. This method allows the pony to choose to do what you want him to do, rather than for the pony to by dominated by people forcing it to do things.

In the meantime we have also taken on Rusty, who was found abandoned on a busy road, and we have two pygmy goats, Zig and Zag, as well. We have also had a few other ponies through our doors who were unwanted and for whom we have found a new and loving home, which has been very fulfilling.

I understand you have a particular trainer for the ponies?

Yes, we have a volunteer trainer, Olivia King, who comes every fortnight and helps us work with the ponies. She is teaching us how to use Monty Robert’s methods, so that we can be a bit more knowledgeable about what we are doing; we started off with more enthusiasm than perhaps experience and know-how, but we are learning rapidly.

Pet Bereavement Support Service

EASE also has a Pet Bereavement Support Service for people who are suffering the loss of a companion animal, a pet they have been close to. For many people, particularly perhaps for elderly people or people who live alone, pets may be their best friend; and when they lose that pet it can be difficult to come to terms with it. It can also be difficult to talk about because sometimes other people don’t understand the kind of inter-dependency that can exist between a person and their pet. This service is much in demand and our counsellor receives calls from all over Britain.

EASE Devon

We've also set up EASE Devon, which is run by our pet bereavement counsellor, Angela Garner. Angela offers school visits for young children to teach them the importance of having care and consideration towards animals through practical sessions with the EASE working guinea pig, Jasper. We believe that children need to be introduced at an early age to the importance of having care towards the lives with which we share our planet, as cruelty towards animals among children is tragically on the increase.

Mel: “I want to create a place which in some small way will stand against the cruelty that exists in the world - the kind of place where people will come and will feel inspired about the relationship which exists between animals and humans, where they can feel enrichened by the fact of the existence of animals.”

All in all, as the sanctuary has only been going for eighteen months, we’re very proud of what we have been able to achieve, particularly because it is all run on a voluntary basis and we had no funds to begin with. We want to have our own premises eventually, but that will be a fewyears away yet.

Above to below: the two goats Zig and Zag, John one of the volunteers, Jill another volunteer and the pony Rusty

What are your most important aims within EASE?

We went to create a place where animals experience only kindness. If animals come to us who have experienced cruelty in the past, then we try to be remedial upon that and to teach them that humans can be trusted, which is something very important to us. There’s such a lot of cruelty in the world towards people and animals, which I feel very deeply about because animals are vulnerable and reliant upon humans. I want to create a place which in some small way will stand against the cruelty that exists in the world - the kind of place where people will come and will feel inspired about the relationship which exists between animals and humans, where they can feel enrichened by the fact of the existence of animals.

I also want to create a place full of harmony and peace between different species of animals because all species can get on together, there does not have to be friction; often it is the human who causes the friction. You come across all kinds of stories about remarkable relationships that exist between different species, for example deep bonds that might exist between a cat and a dog. Our experience at the EASE Sanctuary is that as long as animals are introduced to each other properly, they get on fine together.

I know it may sound very idealistic, but I do realise it won’t happen without a lot of work.

What is your vision for EASE?

Eventually we want to cater for all companion animals; the most popular pets are cats and dogs, which are animals I would love to be involved with. But often, particularly with dogs, when you confine animals it can cause all kinds of stresses. I would love to experiment with the use of colour, design, and complementary therapies, as I believe with the right kind of innovative use of these things, we could find ways of reducing stress and enhancing the well-being of the animals while they are in the sanctuary. When a dog is confined for some months whilst it awaits a new home, it is bound to be really unhappy. Often at animal sanctuaries you see dogs in tiny cages all in a row, with people moving between them, pointing at them and getting the dogs excited. It seems to me an impractical and not particularly kind way of treating the animals. I want to design kennels in particular shapes, using materials that enhance the quality of life that an animal can have, using colours and plants to help animals overcome behavioural problems. That is the vision of it, but that will take a few years to get to. But we’re starting in small ways at the sanctuary, by using particular plants and colours, and by investigating how the usage of gemstones and flower remedies can enhance the animals’ lives.

People often don’t think about what it is like for the animals. Just to give a small example: In some rescue centres if you want a dog, usually you’ll walk around and choose a dog which emotionally appeals to you. But when EASE gets to the point where the sanctuary rescues and re-homes dogs, we’ll sit down with the person or family and discuss with them their lifestyle, their family situation, their work situation, what kind of home they have and what they want from the dog. This will give us a clear picture of the dog they need and then we could say ‘We have two dogs at the moment which fit your criteria, and if you wait here we will get them so that you can see if either of them appeals to you’. This is a very simple thing which can reduce the stress in a dog by probably 100%, because it is not constantly being looked at by people, which causes it to get excited and start to bark, which in turn can put people off. So it is these kinds of practical things that I would love to institute to help give the animals a less stressed existence.

Another example is that most kennels are square. Why would that be better than round kennels? It is likely that round kennels would be much more natural for a dog in all kinds of ways. But we build square ones because it is practical and cheap. At the end of the day, most things come down to money. So part of my intention is to secure sufficient funding to ensure that not everything is governed by finance, so that we can be governed by what is best for the animals. I know it is a bit of a dream, but sometimes dreams come true!

What can you see happening for EASE in the coming 5 years?

Therapy programme for people with special needs

I’d love to start a therapy program using animals, particularly for people with special needs. I do believe that the kind of comfort that animals can bring to people, and the kind of learning that can happen between animals and people, is quite extraordinary. I would like a situation where animals with a particularly docile nature can help to teach people and children how to deal with animals, how to think about animals and how to view the relationship between people and animals. Humans are on this planet to be stewards and custodians of planetary life, not to use it for our own ends. We are the highest organic life on earth and have the responsibilities that go with that.

Children and animals

I also would love to develop our education programme to teach children from an early age how to care for animals and about the fact that animals are feeling, sentient beings that need the same things that we need - warmth, love, companionship, security.

Pet Easement Project

And then we have the Pet Easement Project, which we are hoping to start next year, which is to take care of the pets of women and children in local refuge centres. You have a situation where women and children who are victims of domestic violence may have gathered enough courage to go to a local woman’s refuge, only to find that they can’t take their pets with them. It has been proven that there is a strong link between domestic violence and violence towards children and animals; when a man beats up his wife, he often also beats the family pet. Unfortunately I have also heard of many situations where the pets are being used as a blackmail to either persuade the women to stay or to come back home, which sometimes result in the death of the animal. In some cases women will not leave their abusive situation unless they can find a home for their pet. Unfortunately the women who go to the refuge centres are often those most in need and who have the least financial resources and therefore the least chance to find accommodation for their pets. We will take the pets from the women and put them into foster homes with local people, for the period that the family is in the refuge until they move into their own accommodation when we can reunite them with their pet.

In what way is EASE related to Feminenza?

Feminenza is supporting PEP both financially and practically, because this project relates particularly to women and children, and we hope it will help women to get a step closer to a safe and fulfilling life.

Feminenza has also helped me to find the confidence and belief in myself, and to stand up for what I actually believe in. It has given me the courage to try to realise my dream - it’s one thing to have a dream, it’s another to actually take the first step on the journey to realising it. Feminenza helped me find the courage to take that first step, and where it will lead I don’t know!

For more information see website www.ease-animals.org.uk