LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Tribe Animal Sanctuary in Louisville is preparing to celebrate a big birthday for one of its most popular residents.
Ollie the goat is turning one -- and his birthday wish is to remind all of us to never judge a book by its cover.
The one-eyed goat has plenty of friends to celebrate with. Tribe Animal Sanctuary is currently home to 78 animals, including horses, cows, goats, sheep, pigs, ducks, turkeys and rabbits. All of them have a story to tell, and all of them have overcome challenges.
Pig at Louisville's Tribe Animal Sanctuary.
"We're a vegan farm sanctuary," said Becki Streif, co-founder and managing director of the sanctuary. "Our mission is to provide medical care and a sanctuary to abandoned, neglected and abused animals."
Ollie has faced his own challenges.
"A goat breeder in upper-state Wisconsin -- her doe had triplets, and Ollie was born with an underdeveloped eye and congenital abnormalities in the face," Becki Streif explained. "The other goat breeders were telling her she needed to call. People just kind of jumped for the opportunity to get him down here safely. He arrived, like, at like one o'clock. He was, like, 13 hours old. He was so tiny we had to use a kitten bottle. We had him neutered and he also had the eye removed."
Greg and Becki Streif, co-founders of Louisville's Tribe Animal Sanctuary
Greg Streif, co-founder of the sanctuary, said Ollie has true grit.
"Ollie is a character," he said. "He has a lot of personality. When you walk into the room, he normally greets you with a head-butt and a 'Baaa.'"
And Ollie wants to meet you, Becki Streif said.
"What we do is invite the public to come out and meet these animals," she said. "These animals are amazing. They're fun. They're very loyal. They have amazing stories."
Not only do the animals make a fun visit, Becki Streif said they can make a lifelong impression.
"It's an opportunity to teach children and adults not to judge somebody by the way they look. It's about who they are inside," she said. "We have animals with three legs, two legs, one eye, no eyes, and everyone is accepted here. You can't choose your family, but you can choose your tribe. A lot of these animals have been thrown away by their families, so this becomes their new family. This becomes their tribe."
Ollie the one-eyed goat at Louisville's Tribe Animal Sanctuary
To help pay for Ollie's eye surgery, there will be tours this Saturday, March 26. A $20 donation is suggested for adults. Children 12 and under are free.
For more information, click here or email BECKI@TRIBESANCTUARY.ORG.
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