
ichannel presents the original Canadian documentary LAURA’S ARK tonight and on Saturday Dec. 17 at 9 pm ET/PT. Here’s the writeup:
It started with a pig.
In 2003, small-town southern Ontario couple Laura and Barry Cameron received a notice from local municipal authorities ordering them to get rid of their pet pot-bellied pig Ophelia. It was time, they realized, to move – to find a home in the country where they would be free to welcome animals like Ophelia into their lives.
Today, Painted Rock Animal Farm & Sanctuary near Tottenham, Ontario is home to more than 100 orphaned, abused, abandoned and neglected animals. This extraordinary menagerie and the woman behind it, the soft-spoken but unstoppable Laura Cameron, together form the subject of the original new hour-long documentary Laura’s Ark.
Though Painted Rock takes in creatures of all kinds, the majority are farm animals: cattle, donkeys, horses, pigs, goats, sheep and llamas, along with an assortment of chickens and ducks. Laura’s uncanny bond with animals makes it almost impossible for her to turn away any bird or beast in need.
As this animal family has grown, so too has the cost of tending and feeding them – to tens of thousands of dollars a year. Supporters in the local community have stepped up to help raise funds and donate supplies. But much in the Camerons’ lives has been sacrificed for the benefit of the farm’s many hungry mouths. “The animals come first,” Laura says.
Caring for so many creatures – many with special needs — also exacts a considerable emotional toll. Given her intense connection to the animals, Laura often struggles to deal with the losses that are an inevitability of farm life. “I just think that I should be able to save everybody,” she says. “Unfortunately, with what we do here, they can’t all be saved.”
Still, for Laura Cameron and her husband, the rewards vastly outweigh the financial and emotional costs. Laura’s Ark captures many of the small joys and quiet moments at Painted Rock that help to make the unconventional life they have chosen worth living.
“I definitely prefer animals to people,” Laura says. “I do. I can admit that.”
Laura’s Ark was produced for ichannel and The Pet Network by Toronto-based MDF Productions. Patricia Fogliato directed and Mikey Lalonde produced. Peter Gentile is the executive producer.
For more information on Painted Rock Animal Farm & Sanctuary, CLICK HERE.
For more on ichannel’s documentary lineup, CLICK HERE.
