Become
Someone's Hero

Arlo we think is a Katahdin x sheep.

He has one of the saddest stories here at the sanctuary.

Arlo was born on the kill floor of an abattoir.

After killing his mother they were going to kill him too, but luckily there was an animal welfare officer on site at the time who stopped them.

Initially Arlo went to live with a lady local to the abattoir, and the lady went to a local farm to find Arlo a friend.

Arlo came to Hakuna Matata with his friend Bunny after the lady found it too hard raising two lambs with other commitments.

Sadly for Arlo, Bunny passed away from health complications at just 9 months old, leaving Arlo heartbroken at the loss of his little sister he'd grown up with.

Arlo now lives with Honey, and the two will join the main flock at the sanctuary this Spring.

Arlo's birthday is the 10th of April 2025.

Briony came with her 3 sisters from a factory farm just before last Christmas.

The 4 girls were the only ones out of about 2000 turkeys that got saved and all the other turkeys went to slaughter the same week.

Briony is a sassy girl, she loves to peck at you, though this never hurts, it's more of a playful thing to her.

She is very inquisitive.

Her favourite treat is blackberries and her favourite toy is her tambourine

Burt is a Mule sheep.

He is one of the 15 sheep that arrived here at the sanctuary from a severe abuse and neglect case up North.

Burt has one of the most loving personalities, always wanting cuddles and affection.

He can often be found with his brothers Arnie and Bruce.

Watching how he and his friends have come so far since their arrival here has been such an emotional and heartwarming experience.

When they first arrived they all wanted to be as far away from mankind as possible and now a majority of them are so trusting and loving now that they have learnt what love and kindness are and the way they should have been treated all along!

Burt has been given the special birthday of the 15th of April 2023.

Charlie is a black and white tuxedo cat.

He has come to us all the way from Lancashire, where he was initially taken in from being feral by a cat foster lady.

Unfortunately because of some of Charlie's health problems nowhere local to the foster lady could take him in on a more permanent basis and we were the only rescue with space.

Charlie now lives on site where he has got so much healthier, enjoys bathing in the sunshine and following us and the other cats around the grounds.

Charlie has become one of the most affectionate cats you could ever meet and absolutely loves his new life here with us!.

Charlie has been given the special birthday of the 18th of July 2020.

Cloud is a Texel x sheep.

She is one of 15 sheep that came here together from a very bad abuse and neglect case up North.

Cloud has become a real character at Hakuna Matata.

Her nickname is Twinkle toes because of the way she trots up to greet people.

She is always one of the first to come and say hello and is always one of the first to come running down for hay!

Cloud has been given the special birthday of the 10th of April 2023.

Dotty is a Mule sheep.

She came with 14 other sheep from a severe abuse and neglect case up North.

Dotty is one of the most affectionate and loving beings you'll ever meet.

She will follow you around the grounds and wait beside you for cuddles.

It's hard to believe how gentle and kind she is with the background she came from, but she knows she is safe with us now!

Dotty has been given the special birthday of the 10th of May 2023.

Father of the other two Alpaca's we have.

George is the bravest and most inquisitive out the three.

He is cheeky and has a real fun character.

His special birthday is the 8th of August 2003.

Gus Gus was the very first new born lamb brought to Hakuna Matata. He was found, still covered in his amniotic fluid after just being born and he needed around the clock care for several months!

He formed a very close bond with 3 other unwanted orphan lambs brought to the sanctuary, all growing up together like brother and sisters.

The 4 remain a close unit despite being integrated into the main flock at the sanctuary and can always be found closely grazing or napping together.

Gus Gus also has a very close bond with his Mummy Hayley (founder of Hakuna Matata Animal Trust) who bottle fed him and looked after him when he first arrived.

Herbie is a continental giant rabbit and the only rabbit on site who is a permanent resident at the sanctuary and not up for rehoming.

He's been with us almost from the very start and was brought to us by a lady who could no longer keep him due to personal circumstances, to which we agreed we would keep him here where she could visit any time she wanted to.

Herbie is a very much loved boy at the sanctuary, he is very affectionate and loves everyone's company!

JC came to us from a local dairy farm with his father and sister.

JC is a cheeky boy, with no table manners, always spitting at his dad and sister at meal times.

But he's a very loveable character.

By becoming JC's Hero, you'll be helping to provide him with nutritious food, veterinary care, and the safe, loving forever home he deserves at Hakuna Matata Sanctuary.

Date of birth: 07/05/2007

Little Blue is a tabby cat who was brought into us as an abandoned pet cat, left outside to fend for himself for months.

When Little Blue arrived he was very underweight, had lost a lot of his fur and was covered in skin lesions.

After a health care check by our vet and several tests it was determined that Little Blue has a condition called colitis.

After getting this gorgeous boy on the right food he started gaining weight and getting his beautiful coat back, and now Little Blue is living his best life as a barn cat, with his own little bedroom set up in the barn with a cosy bed and scratch posts.

Little Blue can often be found napping in the hay and is always about to greet people as they arrive at the sanctuary with a warm welcome.

After working out his approximate age he has been given his special birth date of 14th of January 2016.

Louise is a Hebridean sheep. She is one of 15 sheep that came from a big rescue mission up North that saved many animals from a life of hell.

Louise is a very nervous girl.

We know Louise and her sister Thelma are older girls, we don't know their exact age but we think because they are older girls they probably went through and saw a lot more than the other sheep who arrived with them, which could be why these girls are still a bit wary of people!.

Louise is sadly the most nervous sheep we have ever had at the sanctuary but we still hope that one day she will come around and realise that not all humans are bad!.

Louise has been given the special birthday of the 4th of October 2016.

Mikey came to the sanctuary with his mum Pumpkin as feral cats.

The pair were very timid to start with, Mikey in particular! But over time Mikey and his mum have become very affectionate, friendly cats who choose to stay on site and enjoy following volunteers around the grounds.

He's an affectionate boy who purrs with happiness during fusses, especially if food

Mustard is the very first rescue animal at the sanctuary and a much-loved ambassador for the sanctuary and its mission.

After his owner could no longer keep him, Mustard was facing an uncertain future. During his journey to the sanctuary, he and his brother endured terrible conditions in extreme heat. Tragically, his brother did not survive, and Mustard himself fought for his life.

Thanks to Hayley's unwavering dedication and care, he pulled through and was given the second chance he deserved.

Nora came to us from a working farm where she was used for having babies and for showing.

After getting mastitis she was no longer of any use to the farmer and was going to be sent for slaughter, but luckily she was allowed to come and live at the sanctuary instead.

Nora is a gentle soul, you can see the pain of her past in her eyes and the appreciation of being somewhere she is loved so much!

Oona is a Shetland sheep.

She came to the sanctuary with her 3 sisters; Rosey, Tallulah and Nellie.

These beautiful girls were seen as no longer being of any use at their farm due to having bad foot conditions.

Thankfully we were able to rectify the damage that had been done and the 4 girls have been living happily at the sanctuary.

Whilst Tallulah and Rosey are still quite young, Oona and Nellie came to us as older girls and sadly we recently lost Nellie, our oldest of the girls.

Oona is quite shy at first but when she learns to trust you she loves having a neck rub and will wag her tail with excitement!.

Oona has been given the special birthday of the 10th of June 2016.

Pinky is a medium white pig, saved from a working farm with his brother Perky where they were destined to be sent for slaughter.

Pinky & Perky had been born into a small, dark and filthy concrete pen with many other piglets that had never seen daylight.

Watching these two boys experience freedom, grass and sunlight for the first time, and watching them grow with their individual personalities has been a pleasure.

Pinky is the quieter, more needy of attention piggy, whilst Perky is the more adventurous, mischievous one of the two.

Pinky and Perky share the same birthday which is the 14th of March 2023.

Meet Pip the Pecker!

Self-appointed sanctuary guard dog, this silky cockerel is the devoted protector of his ladies.

Rescued as a young cockerel after being mistaken for a hen, Pip now spends his days proudly patrolling the sanctuary and showing off his hilarious little flamenco dance to impress the girls.

Pumpkin is a ginger cat.

She came to us with her son Mikey as feral cats.

The two started off very timid but over time have got used to human company and have become very tame and affectionate.

Pumpkin loves to follow people around the grounds and will bob in front of people to get a fuss.

Pumpkin has been given the special birthday of the 6th of July 2017.

Willow is a mule sheep.

She came to us as an unwanted orphan lamb from a farm in Devon, along with Daisy and Primrose.

The 3 soon became good friends with Gus Gus and the 4 formed a strong friendship. Willow is a very quiet, affectionate sheep who never strays far from her 3 closest friends and loves attention.

Willow was given her special birthday of the 12th of February 2024.