Giving pigeons a second chance: Inside Mukti Sanctuary’s rescue

Imagine a place where animals in need can find safety, care, and love — a place where they can recover, flourish, and simply be themselves. That is the vision behind Mukti Sanctuary, located in Setúbal, Portugal, which is now taking its next steps towards becoming a permanent haven for rescued animals.

Mukti has recently found a temporary home on the land of another animal sanctuary, giving founder Beth Crivelli the space to begin building aviaries and creating a safe environment for the pigeons in her care. But with Beth doing much of the work herself and only a small number of volunteers helping, there is still a huge amount to be done.

This is an exciting new chapter for Mukti, but making the sanctuary’s vision a reality will take time, resources, and more helping hands. Volunteers are urgently needed, alongside financial support, to help care for the animals and build the infrastructure they need.

We spoke with Beth, who has been rescuing animals for as long as she can remember, to find out more about Mukti’s work, the pigeons they rescue, and her hopes for the sanctuary’s future.

VegHouse Magazine (VHM): What is the aim of Mukti Sanctuary and why is it important to you?

Beth Crivelli (BC): Mukti is a Sanskrit word, meaning liberation and freedom. As a sanctuary, Mukti’s aim is to rescue, rehabilitate, shelter, and if applicable, rehome as many animals in need as we possibly can. Giving these animals the freedom they deserve. We also plan to extend this in the future to provide support (be it food, somewhere to sleep, a safe space, therapy, free workshops) to humans in need. 

VHM: What does a typical day look like for Mukti Sanctuary?

BC: Right now, Mukti is currently all-consuming and hard to separate from my daily life. 

Depending on how many critical cases I have, my morning can start as early as 6 a.m. The cycle of cleaning, feeding, and medicating the animals begins. We now also have someone who goes to the land most days to care for the birds and help keep things running there, which is a huge help.

Then it’s time to walk the dogs. My daily routine of combining my freelance work (something has to pay the bills) with an ongoing cycle of clean-feed-medicate is only interrupted by further dog-walking and a thorough clean of the aviary, birds are messy! Evenings are either for teaching yoga, vet visits, street cat work, or helping local animal shelters. Then it’s dinnertime, nursing the sick ones, and walking the dogs again.

On the weekends, it’s more yoga, house cleaning, shopping, and personal admin, plus delivering supplies to other shelters. No rest for me!

VHM: You are currently crowdfunding to expand. What are your plans for the expansion and future of the sanctuary?

BC: We’ve made some really exciting progress since we last spoke. Thanks to a large donation, we were able to build our first aviary on the land we now have access to, and we’re currently building a second one. The first aviary is already pretty much at capacity, so we still urgently need funds to continue expanding and to provide the best possible care for the pigeons who cannot be released.

We’ve also recently launched our Sponsor a Pigeon scheme, which gives people the opportunity to directly support one of the pigeons in our care and help towards their ongoing food, medication, and other needs.

Our long-term vision for Mukti is still to have our own land where we can create a proper sanctuary and take in more of the animals who need our help. There are still so many requests we simply can’t accommodate because we don’t have the space. Many street cats need a warm, safe place because they’re sick or old, and there are pigeons who can’t be released and need somewhere safe to enjoy their lives.

There are also chickens needing rescue, dogs living in miserable conditions, and one day, we would love Mukti to be a place for retired dairy cows, giving them the chance to live the life they deserve.

So although we’ve come a long way, we’re still very much fundraising. Every donation helps us build the infrastructure we need, care for the animals already with us, and, hopefully, create a sanctuary where we can help many more in the future.

VHM: You are the only shelter that rescues pigeons in Portugal. Is this something close to your heart?

BC: Pigeons are ignored or persecuted by so many, so yes, they’re very close to our hearts here at Mukti. They’re such inquisitive, intelligent, clean, and caring animals, and there is nowhere in Portugal right now that officially treats them and offers them a safe home. Mukti will therefore be the first sanctuary to officially rescue pigeons.

VHM: Tell us more about your new Sponsor a Pigeon scheme. How does it work, and how does it help the pigeons in your care?

BC: We’ve recently launched Sponsor a Pigeon as a way for people to directly support one of the pigeons at Mukti. Many of the birds in our care cannot be released and will need a safe home, food, and ongoing care for the rest of their lives.

By sponsoring a pigeon, people can become part of that bird’s journey and help towards the costs of their care. It’s also a lovely way to get to know the individual personalities of these often-overlooked animals and see just how special pigeons really are.

The sponsorships help us with the day-to-day costs of caring for the birds, as well as helping us continue building and developing the aviaries they call home. We’re so grateful to everyone who chooses to support one of our pigeons, it really does make a difference.

And if you’d like to support Mukti Sanctuary, there are lots of ways to help, from sponsoring a pigeon to making a donation or volunteering your time. Every bit of support helps us care for the animals already with us and continue building a safe future for those still waiting for our help.