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We are so excited to announce that AJ, our African crested porcupine, has finally had his dream come true! We have found a cute little three-year-old female porcupine to be his companion. She is currently in quarantine, but once she passes her health exams in the next few weeks, they will be together the rest of their lives! Of course our AJ is neutered, so there won't be porcupine babies as we do not breed animals into cages. But it is important that he has companionship, and someone who speaks his language! We will be running a name contest for the new girl porcupine on our social media platforms this week, so make sure you check out our Instagram! We will be giving away two free tickets for one of our Friday, Saturday or Sunday public tours for the first person who nominates the best name! Join in the free fun and find the best name for our new Animal Tracks family member!

Are you feeling the irony? All the constantly upgraded technology is supposed to help us get more “stuff” done. It’s designed to make our lives easier and give us more free time. So, how much more free time do you really have? Instead, are you feeling even more stressed about keeping up with all the constant messages, the streaming data, information coming at you faster than your mind can absorb and respond? ​ Come enjoy the magic and a peaceful space with our animals. Our volunteers say Animal Tracks is their “happy place”. It feels so far away from the constant demands on your attention. Visitors come here to unplug, slow down and observe. We don’t demand responses or timelines, but we do have fun meetings! You might see an armadillo dig deep into your thoughts. The monkeys will be watching you but their communication doesn’t need spell check. You won’t need emojis to express yourself, yet you’ll certainly feel a connection. Your log in will consist of shutting down the outside noise and opening your heart. It’s really that easy. ​ The animals who live here have found their safe space. They don’t have to hunt for food or go hungry. There are no predators to hide from or a need to protect themselves. Everyone is given enrichment and attention, and medical care if needed. All live peacefully. They have no work schedules or performance reviews, but when they get the Zoomies, it’s a whole lotta joy. Our guests tell us they experience a sense of peace just being with our animals. One recent visitor wrote to thank us for prioritizing the animal’s safety and needs over her professed desire to “hold/cuddle/pet all the animals”. She enjoyed just being with the animals even if she couldn’t touch them. Yes, as a handsfree space, we are finding new ways to stay connected with all our visitors yet allow the animals to enjoy their home.

Yes, it has been pouring but we are feeling so much synchronicity right now at Animal Tracks. You’ve probably felt a similar feeling at some time in your life, when everything inexplicably falls into place, better than you could have imagined. It’s a reminder that you are doing something right. We had two companion horses here at Animal Tracks. Neither horse could be ridden but they were sweet, gentle boys who kept each other’s secrets in the stable. Montana, the great old steed passed almost exactly a year ago. Every day since, Spirit has stood and looked out at the last place he saw his dear friend Montana. We all give Spirit extra love and care, but he seemed to long for a friend to share his pasture. Cue an unexpected donation. Animal Tracks is respected and appreciated by the Agua Dulce Community, so much so we were unexpectedly given a big donation of, you guessed it, a covered barn, plus 20, 3 rail panels to protect another animal. The donation included tools and farm equipment. How lucky is that since we are surviving on donations? A collection of dedicated volunteers, measured, deconstructed, carried, transported and rebuilt that new covered barn at Animal Tracks. Still others volunteers provided building materials and monetary donations. The months of preparation and donations of time, money and hard labor were a tangible reminder that so many people care about animals. But the story just kept getting better. Animal Tracks is always looking for volunteers to help care for the animals.They also build and maintain the compound as well as getting us ready to reopen to the public. Enter Nancy, a new volunteer who heard great things about Animal Tracks from a friend. She enthusiastically offered her skills and experience to help Animal Tracks reopen, and deal with many of our current challenges. The help she was offering was primarily administrative, except, she has always wanted to rescue donkeys. Her connections were perfectly timed with our donation of the barn! Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue in Acton helped us create a safe donkey environment. This weekend we welcomed Sophie and Vinny a bonded pair of standard donkeys. They were timid coming into their new forever home and stayed very close to each other. Spirit couldn’t contain his delight at welcoming not one but two new friends. He even kissed Sophie on the nose. We are excited to see how their companionship unfolds as we slowly allow Spirit to get acquainted with Sophie and Vinny. We hope to capture and share lots of special moments as they get comfortable living together here at Animal Tracks.