Ansel Santosa and his wife, Sarah, moved from the mid-west to the Seattle Area over 15 years ago to attend UW. After a decade in Seattle, they began looking for somewhere to establish their family, which now included adopted daughter Gwendolyn. They had been coming to Whidbey for several years as weekenders but came to realize that it was the perfect combination of rural community, childhood education, distance to Seattle, and healthcare for aging parents.
In 2018, they found just what they were looking for: a lovely farm house and 15 acres of property to build their dream: a farm sanctuary.
Ansel was a software engineer. He still works in the field, which he does from home, but his free time and his wife’s time is spent working on Ballydídean, the farm sanctuary that they have created.
The sanctuary started small: three chickens and two cats that came with the property. However it grew quickly.
Currently, there are 118 residents at Ballydídean including fosters: 36 Chickens, 23 Pigs, 23 Ducks, 12Goats, 8Sheep, 6Cows, 6 Geese, 2 Cats, 1 Turkey, and a livestock guardian dog. All of the animals are rescues; about half were surrendered by their owners and half come from abuse and neglect cases. All of the animals at Ballydídean are now safe and happy.
Sarah trained at an international zoological training program which helped prepare her and the animals to be good ambassadors. A major concept of Ballydidean is to help the animals learn to be comfortable with people, and to help people learn to be comfortable and caring with animals.
Several of the animals are available for adoption. The bulk of Ballydídean’s adoptions are orphaned or rejected lambs that the public can help bottle feed.
The youngest animals need to be bottle-fed three times a day. In addition to one part-time employee, there are currently about 100 people a year who sign up to help at the farm.
Visitors, and especially visitors with children, are encouraged to visit Ballydidean and get to know the animals in person. This is a major mission of the farm sanctuary: helping people to know, understand and appreciate animals. They are currently working with educational programs at South Whidbey High School, the Waldorf School, and the Children’s Center in Langley.
Public tours are available year-round at the Farm Sanctuary, 3460 French Road, in Clinton. To arrange a visit to Ballydidean, sign up at https://ballydidean.farm/visit. The recommended donation for tours is $50 for adults and $25 for children. To donate: https://www.ballydidean.farm/donate
Ansel and Sarah say they are especially grateful for the supportive community that keeps the sanctuary safe.
