Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary is a 501(c)3 nonprofit farmed animal sanctuary, wildlife refuge, and community organization. Our mission is to foster compassion for all animals through science-based rescue, outreach, and conservation. Founded by Erin and Chris Amerman in 2016, CCFS quickly grew to become the largest bovine sanctuary in the U.S., with three facilities totaling 420 acres. The first is the original Critter Creek in Gainesville, Florida: a 210-acre farm sanctuary and wildlife preserve purchased in 2015. Approximately 125 acres of the Critter Creek facility, with its forests and natural springs, is a dedicated wildlife preserve. The remainder is set aside for rescued farmed animal residents, including pigs and cows. In 2019, we realized that if we're going to keep this rescue thing going, well, we're gonna need a bigger ark. So, we gave up the idea of building our dream home and instead put the money we had been saving for our dream home toward our second facility, Critter Hills, a 200-acre ranch and hay farm just up the road from Critter Creek in Alachua, Florida. This second facility has allowed us to rescue many more animals.
At present, we focus primarily on the rescue of injured, neglected, and/or abandoned cows. We have over 180 cows in our Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary family, which makes us the largest cow sanctuary in the country. Why cows? Well, it can be difficult to find placement for cows because they require a great deal of space, live a very long time with good care, and they eat a ton. Thankfully, with the addition of the Critter Hills facility, CCFS now has enough space to house and care for a fairly large herd. We aren’t just a cow rescue, though--ten donkeys, 26 pigs, one turkey, 12 horses, a bison, and a very demanding water buffalo also call CCFS home. We encourage everyone to come meet the residents of CCFS and see that these animals are no different than the companion animals we all call friends. CCFS hosts monthly tours and several public events per year to facilitate such interactions. We hope that by meeting these beautiful creatures, everyone will learn compassion for them and choose to leave all animal products off the menu.
