The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Ranch The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Ranch
Showing posts with label Ranch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ranch. Show all posts

Saturday, September 4, 2021

Morgan Freeman’s Concern About Bees Led Him to Convert His 124-Acre Ranch in Mississippi Into a Sanctuary for Wild Bees


Morgan Freeman is one of those famous people that is adored by both the young and the old. He is an actor, filmmaker, as well as director and he, is known for a lot of different roles that he played during his long Hollywood career, so it is difficult to keep track, but his newest role may prove to be his most important one.

Now, he is celebrated for his participation in helping, as well as investing to revive the bee population. According to statistics, one in three bites of food that you put into your mouth today is the result of the hard-working, yet humble honeybee. The sad thing is that bees are dying off at a rather alarming rate.

People around the world have done what they can, from planting flowers which bees like to visit, petitioning their governments to stop the use of pesticides which kill bees, and even keeping bees themselves. Morgan Freeman is no different. His concern about the bees led him to convert his 124-acre ranch in Mississippi into a sanctuary for wild bees with bee-friendly plants such as fruit trees and clover, magnolia trees and lavender, all spanning over many acres.

His effort was to help support population growth for the little pollinators. Back in 2014, he talked to Jimmy Fallon about his new hobby during an appearance on "The Tonight Show." As he took beekeeping just two weeks before the interview, the actor described how well he and his bees get along. He told Fallon that he does not even need to wear a protective beekeeper's suit or veil when tending to his precious pollinators, suggesting that he has reached a level of skill, as well as ease akin to his on-screen performances.

He explained: There is a concerted effort for bringing bees back onto the planet…We do not realize that they are the foundation, I think, of the growth of the planet, the vegetation…I have a lot of flowering things, and I have a gardener too. As she takes care of the bees too, all she does is figure out, 'OK, what would they like to have?', so we have got acres and acres of clover, and we have some planting stuff like lavender, I have got like, maybe 140 magnolia trees, big blossoms.

Freeman said that he did not start keeping bees as of the sweet tooth, but it was a direct response to the mass bee die-offs which was threatening the survival of wild bees for the past several years. The actor also recognized the chances of making a difference through personal action, so he imported 26 hives full of bees from Arkansas and started feeding them sugar water.

It is quite difficult to measure what kind of an effect the efforts of Freeman will have on the larger bee populations in North America, but his hobby is an inspiring gesture of goodwill toward those tiny living creatures which are usually taken for granted.

He said: I have not ever used the beekeeping hat with my bees. They haven't stung me yet, as right now I am not trying to harvest honey or anything, but I just feed them…I also think that they understand, 'Hey, don't bother this guy, he's got sugar water here.





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Monday, August 13, 2018

A Woman Who Lost Everything in the Valley Fire Three Years Ago: Opening her Property to Animals Displaced by the Mendocino Complex Fire


She lost everything in the Valley Fire three years ago -- and was able to rebuild. Now, Helen Owen is opening her property to animals displaced by the Mendocino Complex Fire.

You can think of it as Noah's Ark -- with dozens of animals being cared for.

FOX40 photojournalist Rachelle Riley met up with Owen at her ranch.

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Thursday, June 11, 2015

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) Second Chances Program is Pairing Inmates with Horses at Correctional Facilities in Nine States


More and more, animal therapy is proving an incredible outlet for the psychological and physiological betterment of people from diverse walks of life.

For instance, we recently reported a story about a documentary called Castaways that chronicles the rehabilitation program of unwanted dogs who are paired with prison inmates. There’s no question of the lasting effect that that two have on each other by the end of their program — but similar programs with different animals are also successful. The ranch below is one such example.

Much like the dogs of the aforementioned program, the horses at Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation are castaways of their own — former racing horses from many different backgrounds who, for any number of reasons, were no longer of use to their breeders. ABC News reports that a program called The TRF Second Chances Program is pairing inmates with horses at correctional facilities in nine states. Equine therapy has long been proven effective for victims of trauma and PTSD, as well as for people with unique physical therapy needs. But it’s benefits at Second Chances yield something else entirely. “While TRF Second Chances began as a vocational program,” says its website, “it wasn’t long before other benefits of the program were realized; inmates not only learned a viable skill but also gained confidence and a sense of empathy. Studies have shown a reduction in recidivism rates at facilities that host the program.”

“It taught me patience,” says Jose Sotomayor from the Bronx, NY. “Now I look at things differently. I’m more calm. I think things through. It keeps me out of trouble.”



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Saturday, February 21, 2015

Horse Health


Picture of horse
Spring might be the best time of the year, but if we have horses that are prone to developing grass founder, this season may be the beginning of serious problems for some of our horses. Horses that are over the age of 10, easy keepers, overweight or cresty-necked seem especially vulnerable to grass founder and should be the focus of founder prevention.

To read more on this story, click here: Horse Health



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