Between 2022 and 2023, a total of 368 donkeys were flown from Starting Over Ranch to the "La Tanière" sanctuary in France!
Before the war, the association rescued a large number of donkeys with the intention of flying them to a life of freedom in France. With the start of the war, the airlift project was frozen, leaving the ranch with nearly 800 donkeys in cramped conditions.
In order to cope with the situation we found ourselves in, and in order to give our donkeys better conditions according to the situation and crowding, the moshav gave us permission to expand to an additional 9 dunams of land. To this end, we launched a crowdfunding project to fence the area, build sheds and additional feeding facilities.
Everyone deserves a chance to start over
Welcome to the association Starting Over.
We are a nonprofit organisation involved with rescuing animals.
The organisation takes care of and rehabilitates animals rescued from the streets and livestock industries.
The sanctuary is home to animals rescued from all over the country that suffered horrible abuse and neglect or abandonment, and at the sanctuary they receive a chance to live free, receive love and peace and in fact start over.
Our sanctuary is a place of refuge for the animals that come here, but also for the people who visit.
The sanctuary works to promote education and advocates for the love of animals, seeing each other and raising public awareness for the protection of animals and their rights for the purpose of building a solidary, healthy and tolerant society.
The sanctuary also maintains a mutual rehabilitative connection between the animals that live in it and special populations. We work for education for values and empowerment for at-risk youth and disadvantaged populations, through their integration in animal care and support, while encouraging and developing qualities of responsibility, giving, ability, teamwork and leadership.
virtual adoption
Thanks to you, we were able to help hundreds of animals in the past year.
Our awesome and heroic residents need your help. They arrived at us after a life of of pain and slavery and are looking for someone to virtually adopt them and will help us let them live the remainder of their lives in freedom, healthy and security.
Guided tours at the sanctuary
The sanctuary offers tours in return for your support in our activities.
The tours in the animals' enclosures provide acquaintance, contact and direct connection with the farm’s residents.
On a tour of the animal enclosures you will hear personal stories about rescue and rehabilitation and you will have the opportunity to get closer to nature,
pet them to get to know them and get excited.
The tours for the general public are divided into public tours and private tours.
Please choose the type of tour that suits you, and prepare for an exciting and magical experience of in-depth acquaintance with the tenants and their rescue operations.
Herut center
At the heart of the farm Orly Vilnai and Nitzan Misels established an educational center - "Herut Center for Innovation and Sustainability Studies' ', named after the late Agam Levy.
The center is recognized by the Ministry of Education and offers schools a variety of unique programs in the special educational complex established on the farm.
The basic idea is to harness the screen generation for manual labor and its wisdom to invent technological ventures for the benefit of animals and the environment.
The children [grades 1-2] are accompanied by mentors from high-tech companies, go through a diverse learning process and complete the curriculum with an environmental technology product, and the bottom line is that they will learn tolerance and inclusion - a school of compassion.
A small glimpse of whom you will meet when you visit
They are waiting to see you!
Help us so we can help them
The regular maintenance costs of the sanctuary comes to hundreds of thousands of shekels each month.
Thanks to dozens of volunteers, a dedicated and professional team, and the help of thousands of supporters and donors who believe in the organisation's activities, we continue to expand and save hundreds of animals each year, promote education to prevent further abuse and instill a sense of compassion for animals and non-violence towards them.
To fund the day-to-day activities, food, medical care, improving the quality of life of the sanctuary’s residents, rescuing and rehabilitating more animals that need the organisation's help, and actually giving them an opportunity to start over after everything they have been through -
We need you so we can help them,
We will be grateful for any support.
They come to us beaten, bruised, scared to death, some are not even able to stand on their feet, some are disabled and blind.
Donkeys and horses over the age of 30, pregnant donkeys,
Small and orphaned foals.
They all have one thing in common -
They all went through a life of suffering and slavery by humans.
Here we reveal to them the good and caressing hand,
rescue, rehabilitate and give them a chance to start over.
Behind the scenes - ejiao industry
Behind the scenes - ejiao industry
ejiao (or CCA -Colla corii asini in English and in Chinese 阿胶 ב) is gelatin obtained from the skin of the donkey. Used in traditional Chinese medicine and those that use it believe that it has many benefits including cosmetics, curing anemia,dizziness, bleeding, problems in the reproductive system and various other ailments
The demand for ejiao increased from the start of the 21st century, leading to a decline in the donkey population in China, which began importing donkeys and donkey skins from other countries, causing the donkey population in the world to dwindle and a jump in the price of donkey skin.
In the 21st century, there has been a decline in the supply of donkey skins, as donkey breeding has declined. The declining supply combined with rising demand for ejiao has led to rising prices of donkey skins in China.
As a result, In the mid-2010s, donkey prices in many places around the world began to rise sharply with demand for ejiao. Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Senegal have exported skins to China.
In November 2017, PETA Asia released eyewitness footage showing donkeys beaten to death with a sledgehammer or slaughtered by cutting their throats.
In November 2019, it was reported that 4.8 million donkey hides were required to satisfy the global demand for ejiao, resulting in steep declines of donkey populations around the world.
This situation continues, and one of the goals of the organisation is to rescue the donkeys exported from Israel to this industry and make the donkey a protected species in Israel.
Feel free to watch the article that was in Kan 11 about the ejiao industry and the organisation.
Support us on social media
Join our facebook page
Like, comment,share- all these help us reach more people who report about animals in need of help, and also those that support the organisation.
Help us reach them and join us.
Our heros star on Instagram
Toffee, TinkerBell, Schochi, Freddy and the rest of the friends are waiting for you on Instagram with their sweetest selfie faces. Follow us to get your daily dose of sweetness and beauty.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
We upload the residents personal stories, including other interesting content
Contact us
Email: SharonsSanctuary1@gmail.com • address: Moshav Herut