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WELCOME TO THE ANIMAL SANCTUARY

The Animal Sanctuary is run by Shawn Bishop and Michael Dixon, and is based in Matakana, New Zealand. We provide a safe haven for abused and neglected animals, and care for injured and orphaned native birds.

Our 32 acre property has paddocks and barns to care for abused farm animals. Some stay forever, and others are rehomed when they recover. We're bordered by 400 acres of protected bush where we can safely release rehabilitated native birds.

We often care for between 100 – 300 animals at The Animal Sanctuary: two-legged and four-legged, native and exotic, warm and cold-blooded – all getting the care that they deserve.

You can watch our video to learn more about what we do, and Follow us on Facebook to see what we get up to.


The Animal Sanctuary is a haven for a wide range of animals with a focus on three main areas of work:

Young rescue goat

Rescued Animals

The Animal Sanctuary is a permanent home and refuge for abandoned, abused, and forgotten animals.

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Ex Egg Farm Hen

Egg-Farm Hens

We rehabilitate & rehome hens from commercial egg farms.

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Two native wood pigeons - kereru

Native Birds

We rehabilitate and release native New Zealand birds back into the wild.

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The Sanctuary donkey and owl sitting at a table sharing coffee

For the price of just one coffee a month, you can provide real help to injured and orphaned native birds and rescued abused animals.

Become a Sanctuary Supporter with an automatic donation of $5 or more per month. You can visit The Animal Sanctuary (which is closed to the general public), meet the animals and birds, and see what we do. And because we are a registered charity, you can even receive one-third of your donation back each year as a tax refund!

Yes, I want to become a supporter!

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The Animal Sanctuary is an animal refuge run by Shawn Bishop and Michael Dixon in Matakana, New Zealand. We provide a safe haven for abused and neglected animals, and care for injured or orphaned native birds. A charitable trust has been established for this purpose.

2024 The Animal Sanctuary