DAVE ROSS

O’Brien: A New Jersey farm is dedicated to protecting animals

Jul 6, 2022, 1:54 PM | Updated: Sep 29, 2023, 10:24 am

Emily, the Emu...

Emily, the Emu

Colleen O’Brien’s Daily Dose of Kindness segment for July 6

A not-for-profit animal sanctuary, Funny Farm Rescue & Sanctuary, is open to the public two days a week and was created by New Jersey’s Dr. Doolittle, Laurie Zaleski.

It’s located in Mays Landing, N.J.

“Abused, unwanted, neglected, elderly, disabled,” Zaleski said. “Every single animal here is a rescue.” She’s protected and worked with more than 600 animals over the last 20 years, from retired racehorses to livestock.

“There are lessons here for our polarized, at-each-other’s-throats society because the creatures on the funny farm live in harmony, no matter how different they are,” CBS journalist Lesley Stahl said. “It’s not quite the biblical tale of the lion lying down with the lamb. But as friendships go, this bond is pretty jaw-dropping between Emily the emu, a very large bird, and a goose named Airplane because of her wounded wings.”

“Oh my god, I mean, he is glued to her,” Zaleski said. “That goose is just always wherever Emily is.”

Zaleski’s memoir, “Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals,” was published earlier this year.

Listen to Seattle’s Morning News with Dave Ross and Colleen O’Brien weekday mornings from 5 – 9 a.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

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O’Brien: A New Jersey farm is dedicated to protecting animals