Smokin Joe s BBQ restaurant in Redding is taking donations to help Tortoise Acres & Rescue Sanctuary after animal enclosures were burned in Peter Fire.
Oinking Acres Farm & Rescue Sanctuary is not only finding new families for the pet pigs, but also trying to educate the public about farm animal rescue.
A 7-month-old red kangaroo, Ruby, takes a subtler approach, gently hopping around to ask the painters for bananas, grapes and apples.
Two umbrella cockatoos, Casper and Cassandra, who are said to be ACDC fans, watch from the corner and occasionally squawk “Hello.”
The sanctuary, which has been rescuing primates and other exotic animals for around a decade, introduced the painting sessions about four months ago to educate visitors on the pet primate trade and raise money to rescue animals from breeders.
From cats and dogs to lemurs and tortoises
Chase Rescue Sanctuary, located an hour south of Ocala in Webster, started out as a rescue for cats and dogs 14 years ago. Nina and Donna Vassallo, who own the rescue, would occasionally take in birds but didn’t get into exotic animals until someone brought Tracy, a common brown lemur.