From an occult church to a sanctuary for 1,500 animals
In short: The Best Friends Animal Society began as the Process Church of the Final Judgment, an English occult group. Today, it manages over 36,000 acres of land in Utah, providing a permanent home for animals that cannot be released into the wild or adopted.
Co-founded by Mary Ann MacLean in 1966 in England, the group eventually moved to Florida in 1970 and then to Arizona in 1978. It wasn't until 1984 that the group relocated its animals to a property in Kanab, Utah. In 1991, the entity formally transitioned into an animal sanctuary, eventually becoming the Best Friends Animal Society in 2003.
The scope of the current operation is vast. The sanctuary occupies 3,700 acres of private land with an additional 33,000 acres leased from the United States Bureau of Land Management. This territory allows for specialized areas like 'Dogtown' and 'Cat World.' While many animals are placed in permanent homes, those unable to be rehomed—including wild animals that cannot return to their natural habitats—live out their lives on the property.
The organization has also engaged in high-profile animal welfare cases and disaster relief. Following Michael Vick's investigation, Best Friends rescued 22 out of 47 seized fighting dogs in 2007, many slated for culling because of their violent nature. They also provided significant aid following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, staying in New Orleans for eight months and rescuing approximately 800 cats from a hoarding situation in Nevada.
Beyond direct rescue, the society influences animal welfare through education and policy. It partnered with Southern Utah University in 2019 to create a certificate program on running no-kill shelters. They also funded 'Feral Freedom' programs for community cats across several states, including Florida, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania, aiming to manage free-roaming populations through trap-neuter-return initiatives.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Best Friends Animal Society
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