16 Things I Learned After Visiting A Farm Animal Sanctuary

Did you know that many farm animals have best friends and love posing for selfies? Farm animals, they're just like us!

On a recent trip to Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary in Woodstock, New York, I met a bunch of cool animals and learned some fun facts about them.

1. Pigs love pumpkins.

Emmy Favilla

This lovely lady, Olive, found a pumpkin and ran over to all the farm guests on the day I visited to show off her prize before digging in.

"Should I play with this a little longer before eating it?" —Olive

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2. Pigs are also considered to be the fourth-most intelligent animals on the planet.

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They're thought to come in just behind great apes, elephants, and dolphins. (Yes, pigs are smarter than dogs!) Pigs also love sleeping — using that noggin all day long can get exhausting.

3. Goats are super friendly.

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Goats are generally pretty fun and mischievous and love saying hi to guests (including me, pictured).

4. And they reeeally like being the center of attention.

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This lil' guy, Benny, hopped up on this pedestal and posed for us several times like he'd just won the Mr. Universe competition.

Bonus: Here's Albie, an injured goat rescued from NYC, who was recently outfitted with a cart (!) to help him get around. He's doing really swell these days.

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5. Turkeys are very brazen and actually like being petted.

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They're pretty into selfies too.

The turkeys roam around freely — there were several who greeted us as soon as we entered the farm.

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6. Cows have best friends — like these two.

Katherine Côtes

7. And BFFs Ralphie and Andy, former veal calves whose special bond you can read about here.

Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary / Via woodstocksanctuary.org

There's a big spot on Ralphie's neck that looks different — because it's from Andy showering with him with love aka licking him there so much! OMG.

8. It costs a ton to transport larger animals to any necessary medical care.

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(WFAS relies entirely on donations, which you can help with by sponsoring an animal or becoming a member for $30.)

9. Sheep also have best friends within their herds, and they get stressed if one of their buddies goes missing.

Jenny Topolski

10. This guy, Felix, has a fancy prosthetic leg that was created using a 3D printer.

Jenny Topolski

Here's Felix when he was just a wee lil' lamb!

Bob Esposito / Via woodstocksanctuary.org

He was found with an injured back leg and was about to be thrown into a pen and used as meat since his farm's owners didn't want to pay for veterinary care. Luckily, WFAS swooped in and saved him from a gloomy fate.

11. Ducks form lifelong friendships with one another (and, in one WFAS duck's case, another chicken), and geese will typically mate for life.

Derek Goodwin/Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary

This is Crystal, a beautiful little girl who was rescued from a hoarding case.

Are you ready for your heart to explode? Watch rescued ducks experience water for the first time here.

12. Cats love hangin' in boxes of hay.

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One of the farm's resident cats enjoys the hay just as much as the other animals do.

13. And sometimes they do the jobs of actual humans when someone's stepped away from the reception desk.

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"Here's a map of our fantastic farm." —cat

14. Rabbits can be really calm and chill.

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This little guy was just hopping around, being a bunny, and was happy to let us walk up to him and pet him.

15. Chickens can identify more than 100 different faces!

Katherine Côtes

"Hey, I remember you from earlier today." —this chicken

Katherine Côtes

16. The staff and volunteers at WFAS are some of the most compassionate, wonderful people in the world — and so lucky that they get to enjoy this beautiful view and the company of some really special animals every day.

Emmy Favilla