THEY FORM STRONG BONDS WITH PEOPLE: PA AHERN’S ANIMAL KINGDOM

Without question, it’s a kooky scenario. My lunch companion is dining with a rather large rooster perched on her shoulder. The aptly named Red Baron seems very relaxed and the owner of said shoulder – founder of Edgar’s Mission, Pam Ahern – equally so. She is also flanked by a pure-bred working kelpie named Ruby, her faithful companion of 11 years.

Named after the pig who (sort of) started it all, Edgar’s Mission is a 62-hectare not-for-profit animal rescue farm in Lancefield, established by Ahern in 2003. She has devoted the past 17 years to the welfare and care of animals and quit a stellar sporting career to do so. Of particular interest are farm animals, who are not protected by animal cruelty laws: pigs, sheep, cows and chickens.

According to government figures, an estimated 500 million food or production animals in Australia are excluded from the protections of animal welfare legislation.

The rooster joining us is an insight into Ahern’s MO: she doesn’t do things by halves. The rooster came to the mission as a rescue chick. “Roosters aren’t wanted because they’ll never lay eggs,” she says. “This little guy and his friend, they were gassed and sold off as snake food, and when they got to their destination, they were still alive.”

As a chick, he used to sit on her shoulder and burrow in to her hair for comfort. Five years on, he is far from tiny but looks comfortable. Ahern calls him her co-pilot, as he spends time with her much like a regular pet, occasionally kicking Ruby out of the front seat of her car, vying for her affection.

“They form strong bonds with people. Our dogs come running up to us for a pat; we don’t tend to think about chickens doing that but, given the opportunity they will. They know their name, they respond to pats. That’s the whole point of Edgar’s Mission: just because they look different, doesn’t mean they’re immune to kindness.”

We’re seated at a table filled with vegan goodies – what look like meatballs, made from black bean and pasta, a faux chicken burger and a brownie with strawberries and coconut ice-cream. The food has been cooked by Carole Meade, a dab hand in the kitchen who used to sell her wares at local farmer’s markets. As with many involved with Edgar’s Mission, she donated food to the organisation, then met Ahern and now cooks weekly team lunches for the farm’s 22 staff.

Our dining room is one of the farm’s many sheds, lined with hay bales, walls filled with pictures – including a before and after of Edgar, who came to Ahern as a piglet and ended up weighing a massive 400-odd kilograms. These pigs are selectively bred to become very big, she says, and suffer lifelong health issues as a result.

It reminds me of the breeding of certain popular dogs – to suit human interests – which means they will have breathing problems. “People, I’m sure, don’t believe they are doing a cruel thing by buying a dog with a squashed up nose,” Ahern says, mentioning a campaign to encourage people to buy dogs with longer noses. “Even the shar pei often has to have an operation on their squished-up eyes so they can see.”

Peter’s Singer’s 1975 book Animal Liberation was an epiphany on Ahern’s road to setting up the mission. She read it when the word vegan was so rare that for some time she pronounced it “vej-an” – sounding like the veg in vegetable. Other concepts he discussed seemed logical, such as choosing products that are not tested on animals. Singer also popularised the idea of speciesism, whereby humans are priveliged over all other animals, and argued for all sentient beings to be well-treated.

To Ahern’s mind, the idea that some animals matter more than others seems ludicrous. If one could be intelligent and empathise with humans, why not another?

It’s an interesting idea, confronting in many ways. Why do we say things like ‘dirty pig’? Ahern says this maligns what is a fastidiously clean animal. Why are dogs and cats valued above other animals in our society? Who decided sheep were stupid? Is it coincidence that farmers, who raise sheep as food, dub them as less than intelligent? Why do some French or Italians eat horses, some Chinese and South Koreans dogs? Who are we to make any assumptions about the inner lives or machinations of creatures we know little about?

In a previous lifetime, Ahern was a top level equestrian rider. Growing up in Thornbury, her family had cats and dogs but at five Ahern became horse-obsessed. At eight, she got her first pony and she went on to achieve her childhood dream, winning the Garryowen Award twice, one of the most prestigious equestrian awards in Australia.

When she decided to quit, many in the industry were shocked she chose to prematurely end such an accomplished career. For her, the writing was on the wall; as much as she loved it, she could no longer work in a sport that was not allowing the horses “to live their best life”.

That became the mantra for Edgar’s Mission, which has clearly been a labour of love; Ahern has not had a day off in 17 years. Basically any animal needing love and care is welcome, although these days re-homing is a priority, as there is only so much space available. The mission is open to the public and attracts about 6500 people each year. Philosophically, Ahern says it’s all about kindness. “It’s encouraging people to think about the choices we make – not just for animals but for people and the planet.”

In 2003, while volunteering with Animals Australia, Ahern found out a piglet was needed for a photo shoot with actor James Cromwell, who played Farmer Hoggett in Babe. She was able to rescue one from a commercial pig farm, who she named Edgar Alan Pig. Much-treasured, Edgar inspired her to create a sanctuary for him and others like him, and so Edgar’s Mission was born. As part of their fundraising, the mission has published a new vegan recipe book, featuring contributions from David Campbell, Osher Gunsberg, Marieke Hardy and others.

We tour the grounds of the farm after lunch and Ahern greets each of the animals by name, her devotion to the creatures in her care clear. Heading back to the car, I spy a sign at the entrance that declares: We are all part of the animal kingdom. Well, yes, but some of us are more equal than others.