MEHOOPANY TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Workers at an animal sanctuary are fighting to keep nine goats alive and healthy.
"What's so incredible is how quickly they came to trust us. Just unbelievable. They just opened their hearts right up to us despite all that they've been through."
It didn't take long for the folks at Indraloka Animal Sanctuary to fall in love with these goats. Two weeks ago, the sanctuary near Mehoopany got a call from a woman begging for help. She knew of some farmers who were closing their dairy goat operation and sending all nine of the remaining goats to slaughter.
"We felt like we couldn't split up the family and save some and leave some to die, so we just dug into our hearts and found space that we didn't have," said Indra Lahiri.
"Once we got there, they were like pretty desperate to get out of there, so they were very happy to see us and we were very happy to see them," Jim Marcinko said.
Once the sanctuary rescued the goats from the farm, its next goal was to nurse them back to health. The goats were malnourished and neglected. They were full of parasites, and their hooves were overgrown, making walking painful.
These goats have been deprived of human interaction, affection, and basic care, some of them for years, so now, they're making up for lost time.
"You can't control the love. It's fantastic! They won't even let us get in there without smothering us."
One of the baby boys named Precious by the sanctuary died on Monday from parasites. The sanctuary will be able to save the rest of the goats, but there's a long road ahead.
Folks here are building a new barn for the goats, providing them with round-the-clock care, and paying for their mounting medical costs. That's why they're reaching out to the public for help.
"We're really hoping the community, anybody that loves animals, if they can just open their hearts, these precious beings deserve a chance at life."