Juliana’s Animal Sanctuary is located in Columbia, and it was founded in 2006. It is the only animal sanctuary in Colombia and works to provide a safe haven for abandoned, abused, and exploited animals. Because Juliana sees the innate worth of animals, she has been a vegetarian since she was 5 and a vegan since 2006.
At 5 years old, her love for animals propelled Juliana to dream of a sanctuary where animals would not live to be killed, but live to enjoy every day of their existence. As a little girl, Julianna made a pivotal choice to stop eating meat the day she found out that meat did not magically appear. It was a product of cruel murder. Upon this realization, Juliana felt the need to help those innocent victims - all of them. She even remembers feeling called to rescue dogs from the street. She followed her heart, and indeed, she did. She would take them to her family’s apartment and care for them until she found them a home.
When she was 11 years old, her school teacher asked her,
“What do you want to do when you grow up?”
Without hesitation, Julianna said, "I will buy a very big place to save all the animals!" She meant this with all of her heart.
She started saving money and selling things at school so she could buy a large piece of land to make her dream a reality. By 2006, Juliana had saved enough money during college to make a downpayment for a plot of land. It was the first sanctuary for animals in the country of Colombia, and at that time, it was the only one in all of South America. In 2007, Juliana had rescued many dogs and cats, and now she had rescued her first farm animal, Gita the cow, whom she saved from a slaughterhouse.
Since then, she has been working hard for the last 15 years with her team. In pursuing her dream, Juliana has faced numerous challenges, including a world that did not understand the inherent worth of animals and their need for sanctuary, legal battles for her land, lack of funds, and the overwhelming demand of animals in need.
However, as the years have passed, Juliana and her team have continued to rescue more than 700 animals of all kinds. To date, the sanctuary has 250 animals in its care. The sanctuary has grown and has become an organization that not only rescues animals but has strong educational programs to change the way people see animals. In collaboration withFood for Life Global, Juliana has managed to take the sanctuary to an international level and to spread global awareness about the plight of animals. Juliana's Animal Sanctuary has since become a non-profit entity registered in the United States as well.
To this very day, Juliana devotes her life to the sanctuary. A normal day for Juliana looks like living with volunteers, rescuing and taking care of rescued animals, having talks with the global community, and likewise bringing the reality of animals, especially those that are exploited for labor and food, to the forefront of our minds. Juliana will not rest until everyone knows what animals endure, and she will continue to instill respect for all living beings within the heart of humanity.
In the last year, Julianna’s animal sanctuary has rescued more than 110 animals. Please consider donating towards humanity and towards giving animals a chance to live and be loved. Donatehere.