{"id":20388,"date":"2026-03-11T09:17:33","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T09:17:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/this-former-trucker-is-now-dedicated-to-saving-farm-animals\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:09:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:09:58","slug":"this-former-trucker-is-now-dedicated-to-saving-farm-animals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/pets\/this-former-trucker-is-now-dedicated-to-saving-farm-animals\/","title":{"rendered":"This Former Trucker is Now Dedicated to Saving Farm Animals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With his long shaggy hair, graying beard and muscle T-shirt, Mike Stura looks like a biker or a truck driver. Yes, he rides a motorcycle and drove trucks for years. But he\u2019s also a vegan who runs an animal sanctuary and calls a cow, Jimmy, his best friend. His <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/pets\/soccer-star-michelle-akers-from-scoring-goals-to-rescuing-horses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">passion for saving animals<\/a> takes him down new roads\u2014and he\u2019s not looking back.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Did you grow up with animals?<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ada4f91 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"ada4f91\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"home-banner-stn\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-72e6e8eb elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"72e6e8eb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Community Newsletter<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-261bcec elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"261bcec\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Get More Inspiration Delivered to Your Inbox<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9787b46 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget-mobile__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-wp-widget-ninja_forms_widget\" data-id=\"9787b46\" data-element_type=\"widget\" id=\"front-banner-signup\" data-widget_type=\"wp-widget-ninja_forms_widget.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<noscript class=\"ninja-forms-noscript-message\"><br \/>\n\tNotice: JavaScript is required for this content.<\/noscript><\/p>\n<style>\n<p>        \/* FORM STYLES *\/<\/p>\n<p>        #nf-form-5-cont {\n                                    background-color:#ffffff;\n                                                    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form.\",\"currency_symbol\":\"\",\"beforeForm\":\"\",\"beforeFields\":\"\",\"afterFields\":\"\",\"afterForm\":\"\"};form.fields=[{\"objectType\":\"Field\",\"objectDomain\":\"fields\",\"editActive\":false,\"order\":1,\"idAttribute\":\"id\",\"label\":\"Email\",\"type\":\"email\",\"key\":\"master_signup_email\",\"label_pos\":\"hidden\",\"required\":1,\"default\":\"\",\"placeholder\":\"@Your 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25px;\",\"element_styles_background-color\":\"#ffffff\",\"element_styles_border-color\":\"#ffffff\",\"element_styles_advanced\":\"margin-bottom:0;nborder-radius: 25px;n-webkit-border-radius: 25px;\",\"manual_key\":true,\"id\":27,\"beforeField\":\"\",\"afterField\":\"\",\"parentType\":\"email\",\"element_templates\":[\"email\",\"input\"],\"old_classname\":\"\",\"wrap_template\":\"wrap\"},{\"objectType\":\"Field\",\"objectDomain\":\"fields\",\"editActive\":false,\"order\":2,\"idAttribute\":\"id\",\"label\":\"Subscribe Now\",\"type\":\"submit\",\"cellcid\":\"c4725\",\"processing_label\":\"Processing\",\"container_class\":\"\",\"element_class\":\"\",\"key\":\"subscribe_now_1660636976556\",\"wrap_styles_border\":\"\",\"wrap_styles_width\":120,\"wrap_styles_margin\":0,\"wrap_styles_padding\":0,\"wrap_styles_float\":\"\",\"wrap_styles_show_advanced_css\":1,\"element_styles_border\":\"\",\"element_styles_width\":120,\"element_styles_font-size\":\"\",\"element_styles_margin\":0,\"element_styles_padding\":0,\"element_styles_float\":\"\",\"element_styles_show_advanced_css\":0,\"submit_element_hover_styles_border\":\"\",\"submit_element_hover_styles_width\":\"\",\"submit_element_hover_styles_font-size\":\"\",\"submit_element_hover_styles_margin\":\"\",\"submit_element_hover_styles_padding\":\"\",\"submit_element_hover_styles_float\":\"\",\"submit_element_hover_styles_show_advanced_css\":0,\"wrap_styles_advanced\":\"\",\"element_styles_background-color\":\"#00ab84\",\"submit_element_hover_styles_background-color\":\"#00ab84\",\"drawerDisabled\":false,\"id\":28,\"beforeField\":\"\",\"afterField\":\"\",\"value\":\"\",\"label_pos\":\"above\",\"parentType\":\"textbox\",\"element_templates\":[\"submit\",\"button\",\"input\"],\"old_classname\":\"\",\"wrap_template\":\"wrap-no-label\"}];nfForms.push(form);<\/script><br \/>\n                <script id=\"nf-tmpl-cell\" type=\"text\/template\">\n            <nf-fields><\/nf-fields>\n        <\/script><\/p>\n<p>        <script id=\"nf-tmpl-row\" type=\"text\/template\">\n            <nf-cells><\/nf-cells>\n        <\/script><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>I grew up in the little town of Pompton Lakes, New Jersey. We had a bunch of dogs and other pets too, but we didn\u2019t have farm animals. I\u2019ve always loved being around animals, although I didn\u2019t make them my job until later in life. I was a car mechanic and then spent 27 years as a truck driver.<\/p>\n<p><strong>When did you make the sharp turn from truck driver to animal advocate?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One day I was driving with a friend. He was a big guy\u2014six feet six inches, 400 pounds. He said he planned to go home and cook steak he\u2019d marinated. I pictured him chewing on a big hunk of meat, and it just seemed horrible. I wondered how many animals had died for him to be that big. After that day, I became a vegetarian for the next 15 years.<\/p>\n<p><strong>And then you took that commitment even further?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One day I was out on my bike and saw a flyer that read, \u201cCome and meet a sheep.\u201d I followed the directions to <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/pets\/this-indiana-couple-rescues-small-rodents-in-need-of-care\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an animal sanctuary<\/a> for the first time. I didn\u2019t even know there was such a thing. I\u2019d never known a vegan. But this visit changed me. I never ate anything from an animal again.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Your first sanctuary trip didn\u2019t just change your diet though.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It changed my life. I went there and met chickens and ducks, and I learned facts about animal farming, like how cows are kept pregnant to make milk, but the baby doesn\u2019t even get the milk. I thought, <em>How did I go this long and not know that?<\/em> I went home and started reading. That was in 2010. From then on, I was an advocate.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How did your animal advocacy work begin?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I started volunteering at a sanctuary on Saturdays and Sundays\u2014gathering donations, helping with projects, fixing equipment and rescuing. I bought my own truck, trailer and van for rescues.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How did you come to open Skylands Animal Sanctuary &amp; Rescue?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Helping other sanctuaries, I realized that I wanted to start doing things my way. But it was really a three-week-old steer, Jimmy, who motivated me to create this place. He was very sick. The folks at the animal hospital said treating him would be really expensive, but to me, he was my son. I found this place, but it wasn\u2019t perfect. There were no automatic waterers and the fencing was sparse, but the mechanic in me knew I could fix anything. Jimmy did heal, and he was the first to enjoy those 232 acres.<\/p>\n<p>When he passed away years later, I wanted to give up. But thinking about my best friend helped me push on. There\u2019s not a day that goes by I don\u2019t think of Jimmy. He\u2019s on the sanctuary logo.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What have been your biggest challenges?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ha! The challenges and surprises keep coming. There\u2019s a feeling of isolation, of being unsure of what you\u2019re doing, and that animals\u2019 lives are depending on you. Things can often seem insurmountable. From sick animals to broken equipment, there\u2019s a daily crisis. Some people thought I was crazy at first. But anyone who knows me knows that when my mind is set, it\u2019s set. I had a lot of mixed emotions when I started, but knowing that the animals were safe and cared for helped me keep going each day. Seeing these creatures heal, recover and live happily pushes me to <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/prayer\/prayers-for-strength\/7-prayer-tips-to-reduce-stress-and-overcome-obstacles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">overcome whatever obstacles<\/a> pop up.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You\u2019ve taken in several escapees, haven\u2019t you?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My first high-profile rescue was a bull. He was running down the streets of Paterson, New Jersey. After he was caught, a spokesperson for a slaughterhouse said he was going to a farm, but I got them to admit the truth. Luckily, I convinced the slaughterhouse to hand him over.<\/p>\n<p>Freddy the steer escaped a slaughterhouse in Queens and was running around Jamaica Avenue. Once again, I convinced the slaughterhouse to give him to me.<\/p>\n<p>Then there was Brianna, a dairy cow who jumped out of a truck headed to the slaughterhouse. We got her, and she was so skinny we didn\u2019t realize she was pregnant. I was a midwife for the first time!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who lives at Skylands now?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are 78 cows, 34 sheep, 39 goats, 16 pigs, 7 turkeys, 3 miniature donkeys, Ted the goose, some ducks and chickens\u2014240 animals total. We go through so much feed. Last winter we went through 18,000 bales of hay. It\u2019s daunting.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How is the sanctuary funded?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s all from donations. I\u2019ve always worked hard, so <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/life-advice\/work-life\/the-beauty-of-asking-for-help\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">being dependent on others<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/guideposts.org\/better-living\/life-advice\/work-life\/the-beauty-of-asking-for-help\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u2019 generosity<\/a> was a real adjustment. If I get $10, I well up, because people work hard for their money, and they give it to us with hope. It\u2019s a big responsibility.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where do the animals come from?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Live markets, auctions, farms where they don\u2019t think they\u2019re abusing animals, but they are. People focus on factory farms that are treating animals terribly, but some of the worst cases I\u2019ve seen have come from small family farms.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What was your craziest rescue?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I had rescued during Hurricane Harvey, so when Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina, I knew I had to go. I bought a boat and saved a cow that had been swimming all day. We tied a halter to her and pulled her a mile through the water to shore. She was pregnant, and now she has a calf.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s a typical day like?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Each morning, we start at eight, letting out the smaller animals, answering phone calls and emails, paying bills, talking to accountants, feeding, cleaning, fundraising, medicating, trimming hooves. If I get a call about a rescue, I\u2019ll drop everything for it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What have you learned about animals since you started this venture?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve learned that birds have so much personality. Turkeys are awesome; they\u2019re real characters. Cows are the coolest. When I call them by their names, they come running. All the animals are unique, and they\u2019re all worth fighting for.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What are your hopes for the future of Skylands?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I hope it becomes unnecessary! I hope we\u2019re a good home for animals for the rest of their lives. But I\u2019d love it to be obsolete.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How has having this sanctuary enriched your life?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I give the animals a place where they can live and be healthy, and they give me a purpose. Every fiber of my being is invested in this. I\u2019ll get this feeling, like a calling, that tells me to check out a farm or to help with <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/pets\/service-animals\/how-one-family-saved-their-horses-from-hurricane-irma\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hurricane rescues.<\/a> I don\u2019t fight it, because I know I\u2019ll end up saving animals\u2019 lives. And I wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><em>Did you enjoy this story? Subscribe to <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/our-magazines\/all-creatures-the-animals-who-share-our-lives\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u><strong>All Creatures<\/strong><\/u><\/a><em> magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With his long shaggy hair, graying beard and muscle T-shirt, Mike Stura looks like a biker or a truck driver. Yes, he rides a motorcycle and drove trucks for years. But he\u2019s also a vegan who runs an animal sanctuary and calls a cow, Jimmy, his best friend. His passion for saving animals takes him [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":28863,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[191],"tags":[55,51,75],"ppma_author":[509],"class_list":["post-20388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pets","tag-inspiration","tag-inspirational-stories","tag-pets"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>This Former Trucker is Now Dedicated to Saving Farm Animals - Guideposts Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This Former Trucker is Now Dedicated to Saving Farm Animals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With his long shaggy hair, graying beard and muscle T-shirt, Mike Stura looks like a biker or a truck driver. 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