Sanctuary Welcomes Stephanie, the Baby Goat
June 3, 2026
One evening in late May, Maui resident Ellie and her boyfriend, Neinoah, were driving home from a trip to a remote part of the island when they spotted a tiny black goat on the road. They pulled over and looked for other goats nearby. Read more.
The 2026 Reviews Are In: Visitors Can’t Stop Talking About the Sanctuary
by Eric Baizer
June 2, 2026
If you’ve been on the fence about adding Leilani Farm Sanctuary to your Maui itinerary, consider this your sign. Reviews have been pouring in across Google, Airbnb, Yelp and TripAdvisor in 2026, and they all say the same thing: this place is unlike anything else on the island. Read more.
Sammy Begins a New Life
May 12, 2026
Sammy, a two-year-old goat, had been tethered with little access to food and water. He was emaciated, malnourished, anemic, infested with lice, full of worms, unneutered, and dehorned. His ear was torn and hooves overgrown. Read more.
AnimalZone Visits Leilani Farm Sanctuary
October 5, 2025
On Saturday, October 11, on Cox Television's National Network at 8:30 AM, AnimalZone will broadcast “Noah’s Ark… Hawaiian Style!” Episode 9 of Season 14 is a visit to Leilani Farm Sanctuary. Read more.
Leah’s Journey: From Orphan Lamb to Sanctuary Refugee
August 13, 2025
Born into the cold certainty of slaughter at a Maui sheep farm, Leah’s first breaths carried the weight of a predetermined fate. Like so many lambs before her, she entered a world that regarded her life as a commodity, measuring her worth in pounds of meat rather than in the life-sustaining rhythms of her gentle heartbeat. Read more.
Big News: Emily the Rescued Highway Goat
Has Given Birth
July 26, 2025
She was abandoned and pregnant, standing alone by a busy Maui highway. Today, she’s a proud mama of three.
Emily the goat, who was recently rescued on the Kuihelani Highway and brought to safety by Maui Humane Society Officer Emily Skidmore, has just given birth to three healthy babies at Leilani Farm Sanctuary. Read more.
From Highway Rescue to Sanctuary Star:
Pregnant Goat "Emily" Finds Safety and a New Life on Maui
July 11, 2025
She was spotted along the busy Kuihelani Highway alone and very pregnant. Now she’s safe, cared for, loved, and named in honor of the Maui Humane Society officer who saved her. Read more.
The Redemption of Gregory:
A Thanksgiving Mirace
July 3, 2025
Thanksgiving was drawing near. For most, it meant feasting, family, and gratitude. For Gregory, it marked the approach of something far more ominous: his own end. Read more.
Your Help is Needed for Rescued Animals
June 20, 2025
Each week, we must purchase truckloads of essential supplies—hay, grains, and other specialized feeds—to ensure that our diverse family of animals, which includes pigs, chickens, tortoises, rabbits, goats, turkeys, guinea pigs, deer, ducks, sheep, geese, and even our several dozen resident cats and swan, Noah, receive the nourishment they need to thrive. Read more.
Ready for a Different Kind of Maui Adventure?
June 19, 2025
If you’ve ever felt the pressure to see it all, do it all, and post it all, only to come home from a vacation more exhausted than when you left, Read More.
Compassion in Action—
a Salute to Michelle and Steve Payne
April 11, 2025
Michelle and Steve Payne are treasures to Leilani Farm Sanctuary.
For more than six years, they have been devoting their Monday mornings doing the animal rounds. Read more.
Leilani Farm Sanctuary Founder
to Present Free Online Talk on April 27
April 2, 2025
Leilani Farm Sanctuary Founder and President Laurelee Blanchard will discuss “Saving Lives: Inspiring Compassionate Food Choices” in a free, online talk. Read more.
What is it Like to be a Leilani Farm Sanctuary
Tour Guide? We Asked Danielle
March 30, 2025
Visitors to Leilani Farm Sanctuary rave about all the fun they have on farm tours with Danielle as their guide! With her warm and welcoming manner, affection for the animals, and bubbly personality, Danielle makes the tours unforgettable for participants. Read more.
Sweetie Pie Flees Hunters and
Joins the Sanctuary ‘Ohana
March 18, 2025
Feral pigs are abundant in the Hawaiian Islands and hunting them is a common practice here.
The gulch that borders Leilani Farm Sanctuary is home to many families of wild pigs. Sadly, we frequently hear the loud, disturbing blasts of hunters’ rifles being fired nearby -- a horrifying disturbance of the peace. Read more.
Sanctuary Hosts Life-Changing Experience
for Middle School Students
March 1, 2025
An energetic and eager-to-learn group of students from Seabury Hall, an independent, co-educational, college preparatory school, spent two days of volunteering and receiving humane education at Leilani Farm Sanctuary. Read more.
Leilani Farm Sanctuary Publishes
New Visitor Newsletter
November 8, 2024
Leilani Farm Sanctuary Offers
Opportunities for Voluntourism
October 27, 2024
Voluntourism, a blend of volunteering and tourism, is considered the fastest-growing travel trend.. It involves travelers participating in volunteer work in an area where they are vacationing, usually for a charity or a non-profit. Read more.
Leilani Farm Sanctuary Receives
$15,000 Award from Vegan Grants
October 18, 2024
Leilani Farm Sanctuary received a $15,000 award from Vegan Grants. Read more.
Turkeys Amaze Visitors
October 6, 2024
Visitors are in for a big surprise when they visit Leilani Farm Sanctuary and meet our gregarious turkeys. Read more.
Leilani Farm Sanctuary Available for Weddings and Vow Renewal Ceremonies
July 11, 2024
Happy couples exchange their wedding vows in a beautiful setting with friendly animals while supporting a great cause. Read more.
Leilani Farm Sanctuary Receives $15,000 Grant from Maui County Office of Economic Development
June 28, 2024
Leilani Farm Sanctuary has received a $15,000 grant from the Maui County Office of Economic Development. The funds will support a digital marketing campaign. Read more.
Honoring the Life of Vicki Grimaldi, a Friend to All Animals
June 21, 2024
The Maui community is mourning the loss of Vicki Grimaldi, the “kindest person one could ever meet.”
On June 1st, just shy of her fortieth birthday, Victoria Grimaldi was attempting to help a chicken in the road when she was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver. The driver was later caught and arrested. Read more.
Planting Food Crops to Offset Loss of Grazing Habitat
May 23, 2024
Recently, the main pasture where the rescued animals have always grazed was taken back by the landowner. Sadly, the animals of Leilani Farm Sanctuary have lost half their habitat and grazing area on the farm. This loss has not only been a hardship for the animals but has also resulted in considerable expense for the Sanctuary. Read more.
Urgent Appeal: Funds Needed for Animals Removed from Pasture
May 17, 2024
Your help is urgently needed. The main pasture where the rescued animals have always grazed was taken back by the landowner. Sadly, the animals of Leilani Farm Sanctuary have lost half their habitat on the farm.
This loss of grazing area has not only been a hardship for the animals but has also resulted in considerable expense for the Sanctuary.
To compensate for the lack of forage, we must bring in large truckloads of hay bales to keep the animals fed. The cost of a single bale of hay is $49.95. Read more.
Animal Spotlight: Charlotte
April 7, 2024
Charlotte was a young piglet living with her mother and thirteen siblings on a hog farm, where they were being fattened for slaughter. One day, the whole family of pigs escaped and made their way to Hana Highway where they began grazing in the tall grass near the road. Hunters quickly spotted the pigs and began shooting them. Read more.
Spotlight: Melani Ellis, Tour Guide
and Humane Educator
April 2, 2024
If it’s Monday, Wednesday or Saturday, Melani Ellis knows she’s going to have a great day. That’s when she leads an hour-long tour that introduces visitors from around the world to Leilani Farm Sanctuary and its mission of humane education and saving animals suffering from abuse, neglect and abandonment. For her, the experience is always fun, joyful and uplifting. Read more.
Our Heaven on Earth
March 28, 2024
It’s easy to see why the rescued animals at Leilani Farm Sanctuary think they’re in heaven. They’re free to roam wherever they would like without fear of the abuse, neglect and abandonment that they experienced in their former situations. Home for them now is a beautiful eight-acre oasis of trees, ornamental plants and gardens of food crops. Read more.
Animal Spotlight: Remembering Jazz, Ambassador of Aloha
March 22, 2024
Each one of the hundreds of residents of Leilani Farm Sanctuary is valued, supported and afforded the freedom to live a happy life. Although nothing is asked of them, a few decide to serve as goodwill ambassadors, regularly extending a warm welcome to visitors to the Sanctuary. Read more.
Feasts for the Animals from Down to Earth
March 6, 2024
For the past five years, Down to Earth in Kahului has provided Leilani Farm Sanctuary with 50 to 75 pounds of fruit, vegetables, and greens twice weekly. The donations are culled produce—they’re overripe and/or damaged and not sellable to customers—but they are delicious, nutritious additions to our rescued animals’ diets. Read more.
Volunteer Spotlight: Eric Baizer
March 1, 2024
Eric Baizer is an indispensable gift to Leilani Farm Sanctuary. He does two-hour morning rounds on Thursdays—collecting manure, feeding the animals, providing them with fresh water and making sure they get plenty of pats. They’re all happy to see him, especially the sheep, who greet him with loud, excited bleats because they know he’s carrying a goodie bag full of treats. Read more.
Remembering Dorothy
March 1, 2024
On a ranch halfway up the slopes of 10,023-foot Haleakalā, Maui’s massive dormant volcano, a jet-black cow with big brown eyes had slowed down as a milk producer. As is typical with so-called “spent” dairy cows, Dorothy was headed for the slaughterhouse. Steve, a kind-hearted worker on the ranch, had bonded with Dorothy, whom he recognized as a gentle, affectionate soul. He was heartbroken when he heard about her fate and decided he had to rescue her. Read more.
