Five years since its inception, Magical Creatures Sanctuary has become home to more than 90 animals that were saved from slaughter, rescued from neglect, have special needs, or were orphaned or injured in the wild.
Helena Lundblad had no intention of starting an animal sanctuary when she moved to Hawaii in 2016. That was until she met a 4-pound baby goat with severe injuries to her hooves.
Soon after being adopted, the goat — named Janice — lost two hooves and has had two prosthetic legs since she was a kid. Lundblad and volunteers take the prosthetics off every night and put them on every morning.
“Janice is the reason behind everything. She’s 6-years-old and my first rescue,” Lundblad said. “She’s my best friend and was the inspiration behind the sanctuary, because I started bringing in more animals to be her companions.”
After she started to foster other livestock animals for the Hawaii Island Humane Society, Lundblad saw that her Hamakua property already looked like a sanctuary and decided to incorporate it as nonprofit in 2017.
Along with Janice are about six other animals with special needs. While some of them are recovering from injuries and sickness, some of them are permanently disabled.
Vincent is another goat that has been in Lundblad’s care since he was a kid. After his birth, his mother laid on him, and all his legs were permanently paralyzed.
Vincent requires 24-hour care from volunteers and Lundblad, but they are happy to do the work.
“I’m very interested in caring for animals with special needs, because I know it’s possible to create a fulfilled life for them, but I also know that it’s hard for people to rescue a handicapped animal,” Lundblad said. “I have resources and knowledge to take on those cases. It’s a time-consuming job, which is not something everyone can do.”
Not long after being established as a nonprofit, Magical Creatures was thrown into the thick of animal rescue efforts when Kilauea erupted in 2018 and caused hundreds of animals to be left behind in Puna.
Magical Creatures and Lundblad joined the Hawaii Lava Flow Rescue Network, a conglomeration of animal rescue groups that took the lead during the eruption to save as many animals as possible.
“The volcano made us evolve very quickly. I was going to stay small and operate as a micro-sanctuary, but suddenly there were so many animals in need,” Lundblad said. “We got 30 animals in just a few weeks during the eruption.”
The sanctuary still has seven goats, four sheep, three cows and “a bunch of” pigs from the lava rescue.
Over time, Lundblad has rescued other goats, pigs, sheep and dairy cows from various threats and injuries. The animals now will spend the rest of their lives in the care of Magical Creatures.
The sanctuary is an entirely volunteer-run organization with a team of five interns that mostly help with day-to-day care. Lundblad built the interns lodging because they are contracted for a work-trade program for three months.
Other volunteers come in when they can to help with feedings, building new structures and any other jobs needed at 35-acre property.
“With all these animals, we need everyone to be hands-on every day. This is not where animals are stored, but valued. That’s why we need the people,” Lundblad said. “We normally don’t have issues staffing volunteers, but securing funding for what we want to do has been difficult.”
Lundblad has a few goals for the next five years for Magical Creatures, one of them being bringing professionals to the sanctuary for workshops and educational purposes.
“We have a sheep shearer coming in next month and will invite people from the community to learn how to do it themselves,” Lundblad said. “This is one example of many things we want to do. Since we don’t intake animals or offer adoptions, maybe we can help people learn how to better care for their animals.”
Lundblad also is hoping to build a barn, hire a veterinarian on-site, and fill more positions as the sanctuary continues to grow.
“I’m striving for solid, community outreach programs and to really fill out the team here, so it’s not all resting on my shoulders,” Lundblad said.
There are volunteer opportunities for those interested in spending time with animals. There are work days every Saturday, weekday projects, and for younger volunteers, they can hang out with special needs animals or any others that need some extra love.
There also are specific volunteer jobs available for those with extra time on their hands.
“It’s been a lot of work and time, but if I could go back in time, I would have done the exact same thing. This is my life’s purpose,” Lundblad said. “It brings me so much joy to see the animals live their lives the way they want to. Their quality of life is incredible, and they are all so happy because of it.”
Those interested in donating, sponsoring animals, taking a public or private tour, or learning more about the sanctuary’s mission can visit the website at magicalcreaturessanctuary.org.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com.