Welcome to the
Second Life Sanctuary​

Help us give abused farm animals a second chance at life.

About us

Second Life Sanctuary is a small organization based in Yamanashi Prefecture with the goal of rescuing animals from the animal agriculture industry and giving them the life they deserve. Anyone visiting the sanctuary can immediately see that these amazing animals deserve the same love and care we give to our household pets.

We encourage visitors to consider the benefits of plant-based foods, which are healthier than meat and are produced with less water and greenhouse gas emissions — and, of course, without cruelty to animals.

We have spent the last 10 years in Japan, and set up the sanctuary as a family project. We are all vegan, and passionate about the environment, and animal and human rights.

Learn about the animals housed at our sanctuary​

Consider the nutritional and environmental benefits of plant-based food​

Enjoy the beautiful nature of Yamanashi prefecture, Japan

Follow our journey on Instagram

Blog

Vegan Gyudon

Recipes

2025.05.13

Location

The sanctuary’s countryside location in Fujikawa, Yamanashi, is very important to us. We want to bring people into the area, so they can discover the beauty of Yamanashi. The local farmers grow vegetables and fruit in ways that are environmentally friendly and entirely free of animal abuse. Their produce will be used to feed our rescued animals. ​

SLS-map

The animals we help​

While we have only just started receiving animals, the first being chickens, we would like to rescue and rehabilitate other victims of animal agriculture, like pigs, sheep and cows.

Did you know that ...​

pigs are extremely sensitive and intelligent creatures that can even recognize themselves in mirrors? ​

Despite this, every day, thousands of pregnant sows are crammed into stalls with no room to move or lay down. Their lives are a cycle of birth, filth, and needless torture and, invariably, slaughter.

chickens are caring creatures who display great empathy for their chicks?​

However, overcrowding in battery cages leaves many chickens deformed and subject to diseases. They are bred unnaturally fast and most are butchered at less than 10 weeks old.​

sheep have incredible memories and can remember up to 50 faces?​

Yet, female sheep are forced to give birth throughout the year. Their lambs are mutilated soon after and slaughtered at around four months old.​

What we teach​

We aim to educate visitors in three main areas:​

01

Animal and Human Rights Abuse

Animal agriculture involves significant animal and human rights abuses

Animals endure extreme confinement, appalling living conditions, and painful procedures without anesthesia. They are treated as commodities rather than sentient beings, leading to severe physical and psychological suffering, before eventually being slaughtered.

Human rights abuses include exploitative labour practices, with poorly paid workers performing dangerous and traumatic work on factory farms and slaughterhouses. Workers often live very close to factory farms, and are directly impacted by the air and water pollution created by the waste from the animals.

Animal agriculture is also directly linked to world hunger, with 82% of the world's underfed children living in countries where food is fed to livestock, and then sold to wealthier developed countries.

02

Environmental Damage

Animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of environmental damage.

It is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emission (more than all of transportation combined). It is responsible for 91% of Amazon destruction. Livestock now covers 45% of the Earth’s land. It is a leading cause of ocean dead zones, water pollution, habit loss and species extinction. Of all the mammals on Earth, only 4% are wild – 60% are livestock, 36% are human. Animal agriculture uses 1/3 of Earth’s fresh water, with a single hamburger having a water footprint of 660 gallons (2,500 litres). A human on a vegan diet uses 1/18 th of the land of a meat & dairy based diet, and can cut their carbon footprint by 50%

03

Health

Red meat and processed meats is classified as carcinogenic by the WHO, linked to cancers (particularly colorectal cancer and also pancreatic and prostrate)

Animal agriculture has a significant impact on antibiotic resistance in humans due to overuse in animals – 70-80% of global antibiotics is used in animal agriculture.This is due to the confined conditions facilitating illnesses among animals. These conditions also facilitate the spread of zoonotic diseases like bird flu.

A plant-based diet has no cholesterol, no antibiotics, it is low in saturated fats, and high in fibre and antioxidants. It can prevent – even reverse – chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity. And of course it is also cruelty-free with a fraction of the water or GHG footprint!

We want to encourage as many people as possible to make good decisions that will benefit animals, the planet, and themselves.​