Namigni Animal Sanctuary

Namigni Animal Sanctuary is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has run a sanctuary in the Colombian Andes since 2020. We care for more than 200 rescued animals: horses, donkeys, mules, cattle, dogs, pigs, goats, sheep and birds.

We focus on the animals conventional rescue can't take: fighting bulls and cows with nowhere to go, working horses and donkeys worn out by years of labor, animals with lifelong disabilities, and farm animals surrendered when their families can no longer feed them. Most came to us too old, too injured, too difficult to handle, or simply worth nothing to anyone anymore.

WHAT WE DO

Lifelong sanctuary

Every day, our small and very lean team feeds, shelters and cares for more than 200 animals, each with a name and a story. Some need special care for the rest of their lives: a fighting bull who lost a leg and walks on three, a calf born blind, elderly horses discarded after a lifetime of work. With our veterinary partners, we treat injuries, manage chronic conditions and give each animal the time and attention they need.

The Reserva del Toro Bravo: rescuing and protecting fighting bulls and cows

Colombia will ban bullfighting in July 2027. But there is no plan for the animals themselves. With the ban approaching and a severe drought, fighting bulls, cows and calves are being sold for slaughter, exported to bullrings in other countries, or left without food. They are large, reactive animals that almost no one can safely keep, and they cannot be adopted.

Since 2023, our Reserva del Toro Bravo program has given these animals a home. Today almost 30 fighting bulls, cows and calves live with us. In September 2026, we rescued eight of them on their way to slaughter in a single operation. Several calves have been born in our care, some rejected by their mothers and raised by hand, bottle by bottle, through the night.

Working horses and donkeys

Across rural Colombia, horses, mules and donkeys still carry water, crops and people. Many work while underfed, injured or sick. It's impossible to rescue them all. Together with our partner Animal Aid Abroad, we run free mobile veterinary clinics for working equids in rural communities, with deworming, hoof care, dental care, wound treatment and guidance for their owners. We also take in equines displaced by bans on animal-drawn carts, and we work against the illegal trade in donkey skins.

Emergency response

Colombia is facing a severe El Niño drought, fires and the aftermath of a major earthquake. Pastures have dried up and hay has become scarce and expensive. Families who can no longer feed their animals are abandoning them or sending them to slaughter. We work with trusted local veterinarians and rescuers to bring feed and care to animals in affected areas, and we take in animals who have nowhere else to go, within the limits of what we can sustain.

HOW WE WORK

We measure everything by one thing: what happens to each animal. We believe that ending cruelty is not enough if no one plans for the animals left behind. So we focus on practical solutions: rescue, long-term care, veterinary support and honest documentation of what we see on the ground.

We are also honest about our limits. We are a small organization, funded mostly by our founder's own work and by private donors, with no public funding. We set a cap on how many animals we take in, because every animal we accept depends on us for years, often for the rest of its life.

WHAT YOUR DONATION DOES

Hay is the backbone of our work during the drought. A single 14-kilo bale now costs around $9, and a truckload of 250 bales feeds our herd for about 20 days.

• $9 buys one bale of hay
• $50 helps feed a rescued bull or cow for about a week during the drought
• $100 helps cover veterinary care for an animal who arrives sick or starved
• $500 helps bring a free mobile clinic to working horses and donkeys and the families who depend on them
• $2,250 buys a full truckload of hay for the whole herd

Monthly gifts matter most. Our animals eat every day, and recurring support is what lets us plan ahead and take in animals in crisis.

We only have one paid staff member as an animal caregiver. Every other team member is a volunteer, which means that every gift, of any size, goes to the animals' care. Thank you for standing with them.