Animals have always been a big part of life for Christy Wong and her family. However, they never imagined that they would someday be operating an entire rescue farm. By creating a safe home for animals and a welcoming space for her community, Kauai Animal Education Farm is helping preserve the local Hawaiian culture and connection to the land.
Christy Wong has lived on the island of Kauai for her entire life, and has a deep appreciation for her community.
“I was brought up in Kauai and raised my family here. Our community is generational from the Hawaiians that thrived here thousands of years ago. Their culture is still alive and well,” Christy shares.
While raising her three daughters, Christy went out of her way to incorporate animals into their lives—especially in their homeschool education. Christy believes that animals can teach us important lessons.
“Instead of getting electronics for my kids, I got them animals,” Christy shares. “Our relationships with animals can teach us how to be compassionate by looking beyond ourselves and understanding the needs of another.”
The Wong family quickly became known around town for being the house with all the animals in the yard—locals would drive by just to see them. That’s when Christy started getting calls to see if they had space to take in more.
“Our community is facing a lot of struggles. There are many reasons why locals can’t keep their animals. There’s no other place for them. So we started taking them in,” shares Christy.
As the scope of the need became clear, Christy dreamed of starting an animal rescue sanctuary to help as many people and pets as possible.
“When I think of all of the problems in the world, I can start to feel helpless because I can’t fix everything, “Christy shares. “But what if we could start a rescue? What if we could give space to these animals? What if we could have these animals help us to be better people? We could connect it back to the land, back to education.”
A few years later, Christy and her family moved onto a 7-acre property at the base of Kauai’s Makaleha mountain. There, Kauai Animal Education Farm was born. As Christy describes it, visitors drive into the farm under a canopy of trees and pass by a reservoir with native birds. As visitors enter the property, they’re often greeted by a sheep named Twinkletoes, who is always looking for treats. The farm is home to 15 species of animals who roam freely in natural habitats. Visitors are welcome to take a tour, or simply pet an animal and reconnect with nature.
“The heart of what we do with this rescue is to share and bring to light our beautiful Hawaiian culture,” Christy shares. “I know in my heart that our visitors have been touched in a way that they’re better for it.”
One of Christy’s favorite events at the farm are “Ohana Days,” which are dedicated days set aside for local Kauai residents to visit the farm, spend time with their families, and reconnect with the land. This is particularly special for locals whose pets are being cared for at the farm.
“These neighbors truly adore their pets, but sometimes they aren’t able to care for them anymore,” Christy shares. “We welcome these families to visit the farm so they can maintain a relationship with their animals. It’s all about the health of our community.”
Kauai Animal Education Farm is Kauai’s only farm animal rescue. Because it’s all volunteer-run, they rely on support from their community to continue their work. For example, with the help of a friend, Christy launched a GoFundMe to build storm-safe cages that are needed to keep the animals protected during harsh weather—which is frequent on Kauai.
“My friend could see that I needed help, so she created the GoFundMe,” Christy shares. “When people come along and support us, it means everything to know that the animals are taken care of and that our farm is helped and supported. Us having that wind in our sails to be able to carry through is huge.”
When asked for advice for others who want to help make their communities a better place, Christy shares this:
“What is your why? What is your passion? Be bold and take that initiative to be that change.”