As many of our supporters know, Austin Farm Sanctuary has recently had the opportunity to expand our sanctuary by purchasing 40 beautiful acres of land in Paige, Texas. In the months since purchasing the new land, we've begun planning in earnest for the expansion of our sanctuary. This new land will ultimately enable us to provide a safe haven for upwards of 800 rescued farm animals.
During our efforts to map out living quarters for each of our residents, as well as fence, plumbing and amenities planning, one thing has become clear to us; our growing sanctuary needs the right equipment to ensure we can meet the needs of all our residents. That's why we were beyond grateful when KIOTI Tractor reached out with a solution that would help us scale our sanctuary and provide these animals with the loving homes they deserve.
It's Beyond Zen
In September, after hearing about our land expansion efforts and sanctuary aspirations, KIOTI Tractors generously donated a KIOTI K9 UTV to Austin Farm Sanctuary and invited owner and co-founder Chris Fuller-Wigg to share how life on the sanctuary is made easier with the right equipment.
UTV Uses on the Farm Sanctuary
Utility Terrain vehicles (UTVs) are small enough in size yet strong enough in performance to allow us to complete a variety of tasks on the new land. Here are just some of the jobs we are already using the KIOTI UTV for on our new land.
1. Animal Welfare Checks
So far, we have moved just over 20 residents to the new sanctuary land, including our cow herd, Dolly and Coco (our mini donkeys), and some of our recently rescued semi-wild piglets. With the cows having mostly free-roaming access to the land right now, it can be time-consuming to find and check on each animal daily when covering the land by foot. Our UTV allows us to quickly locate and check each of our residents on a daily basis to ensure they are happy, healthy and loving sanctuary life!
2. Transporting Supplies
We love the shade that the dense wooded areas on our new land provide to the sanctuary animals during the Texas summers. However, the wooded land can make it difficult to get large tractors or trailers across the land. The versatility of the UTV and its capacity to tow a flatbed trailer allows us to transport supplies such as food, fencing material and water across the entire area of the property.
3. Fencing Projects
With over 10 different species of animals and birds with varying needs, fencing is an absolute must-have at Austin Farm Sanctuary. Constructing new fence lines along with daily maintenance and repairs are challenging. The KIOTI UTV has simplified this process immensely. Between surveying the land during our planning phase, to hauling fencing supplies, posts and tools, the UTV has proved invaluable to the preparation of our new land.
What's Next
Over the coming months we will begin the process of transferring more and more of our residents over to their new home. This will likely be a lengthy transition process as we plan and build the right fencing or housing for each resident. In addition to transporting the residents themselves, we will need to coordinate moving things like chicken coops, medical supplies, feeding supplies, food bowls and feeders, water troughs, enrichment toys, cleaning supplies, tools and many, many more items.
Our new KIOTI K9 2400 UTV, aptly known as "the landowners best friend", will be an essential part of the team undertaking these tasks. With an abundance of storage, 24 horsepower diesel engine and an average ground speed of up to 31 mph, the KIOTI will help make short work of dispersing these supplies to the appropriate areas at the new sanctuary.
To learn more about our sanctuary expansion, visit our website here and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram.