By John Di Leonardo
This past week, my organization, Humane Long Island, was featured in various media outlets, including the New York Post, Long Island Press, and Dan’s Papers in the Hamptons. These articles highlighted some of our wildest exotic animal rescues across New York City and Long Island, including a wallaby exploited for photographs on the Coney Island boardwalk and a South American ostrich hoarded in a Bellmore basement and surrounded by venomous reptiles. The Post recounted my role in stopping law enforcement from killing Barney the bull, the famed bovine who roamed Long Island for two months before being rescued and brought to a sanctuary in 2021 and saving 3 more bulls alongside more than 100 animals from an unlicensed slaughterhouse last year. While many of these animals have already been transferred to spacious sanctuaries where they’re living more natural lives, dozens more are currently recovering at our Riverhead sanctuary after we saved them from slaughterhouses, animal hoarders, and other cruelties in just the past few weeks. On August 2nd, you can meet some of these rescues yourself at Humane Long Island’s Summer Gala.
This night of compassion will be held outside a stunning mansion in Riverhead, surrounded by forest and overlooking the breathtaking Long Island Sound only minutes from our sanctuary. The exclusive event promises an unforgettable evening with special guests, a meet-and-greet with some of our rescued animals, drinks and vegan hors d'oeuvres, music and dancing, a silent auction and awards, and the chance to make a real difference for animals in need.
(Photo courtesy: John Di Leonardo)
In just a single case this year, Humane Long Island rescued more than 160 animals from Double D Bar Ranch, a pseudo-sanctuary facing 112 counts of animal cruelty. Earlier this month, we rescued 42 more animals from the home of a woman who was arrested for animal cruelty, including 7 baby chicks she fled the scene with, stashing them in a hot car during the recent heatwave. Still other animals in our care are being treated for staph infections after they were abandoned to the wild or recovering from having the ends of their beaks severed on factory farms before we rescued them from slaughterhouses. Our workload has never been greater, so it is imperative that we raise the necessary funds to pay veterinary bills and purchase a property where we can continue and expand our work to protect and rehabilitate New York’s most vulnerable animals.
Every donation made during the gala will be matched, doubling your impact and helping us raise much-needed funds toward a permanent sanctuary where we can continue our mission to create a more humane Long Island by exposing animal abuse, passing humane legislation, and rescuing, rehabilitating, and finding forever homes for the animals of Long Island.
For this week’s Anuvrat, I invite you to get involved in our lifesaving work and help us create a more humane Long Island and a safer New York for all animals. Contact me at [email protected] to volunteer or sponsor our Summer Gala or another upcoming event. Tickets to our Gala or additional contributions can be purchased at HumaneLI.org. Hope to see you there!
John Di Leonardo is the founding director of Humane Long Island. He was previously the Senior Manager of Grassroots Campaigns and Animals in Entertainment Campaigns for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). He has a Master's degree in Anthrozoology from Canisius College. He also earned a graduate certificate in Jain Studies from the International School of Jain Studies (ISJS) in India. John can be reached at [email protected].
