ALPINE, Calif. — There's a little gem in Alpine you may not even know about. The San Diego Animal Sanctuary and Farm has more than 200 animals, and fresh produce you can buy weekly.
"It is a beautiful place to work," Animal Keeper Travis Neill said.
There are camels, zebra, bison, goats, pigs — even watusis, Africa's version of the Texas Longhorn. The majority of the animals are rescues.
The Sanctuary staff said they’re finding a lot of people are surrendering their pets because they simply can't afford to feed them anymore. That means their operating costs are now up to $1,700 a day.
"Whatever people can donate would be absolutely amazing," Neill added.
With the cost increase, the best thing you can do to help is visit.
"We have families come, they bring picnics, stay all day. I would say the main difference between us and the zoo, is proximity — the closeness you can get to the animals. We've got buckets of feed people can buy — you can even feed a camel."
From getting up close and personal to being a keeper for the day, the farm offers a range of experiences. Their annual fundraising gala is also coming up on Friday, March 8 at the Bahia in Mission Bay. There will be dinner, dancing and a silent auction.
"Some of the items last year were trips to Hawaii, trips to Cabo, just these amazing packages for people to bid on," Neill said.
Inflation, the Valley Fire and recent rain has added to their expenses, but one way they save is by growing a beautiful garden.
"The horses, definitely a treat for them are the pumpkins. For the tortoises, they're eating a lot of dandelion greens, mustard greens and lettuce," Head Grower Joey Reyes said. "We're trying to give them the best diet we can."
You can eat these greens too — they sell boxes of produce in Alpine and once a week in Santee.
"Few things in life you can see, grow and benefit from," Reyes added.
WATCH RELATED: Small animal sanctuary offers a safe haven for unwanted farm animals (Oct. 20, 2023)