Who We Are
Our mission is to provide rescue and lifelong sanctuary to at-risk and high-care rodents and rabbits where they will receive modern, compassionate, and individualised care.
We also aim to educate the public about ethical animal care, as well as our consistently anti-oppression, vegan world vision.
Our Story
In 2020, several years before OOTP became offical, a large number of mice were being given away for free on Gumtree. The seller didn’t know how many there were, or what the sexes were in order to seperate them. A common occurrence.
Our founder had been taking in mice and rats since 2017, but this was the biggest rescue yet. Instead of being fed to snakes or continually breeding, a total of 103 mice wound up safe, sound, and separated by sex. The males were desexed in groups of 10 at a time, and all lived the rest of their lives in peace.
A lack of large-scale rescues that would accept mice and rats, and a boom in their popularity as companion animals meant that many found themselves in similarly precarious situations. Thus, more found their way safely to what would become OOTP.
A specialty quickly developed for elderly animals, those with significant disabilities and medical conditions, and those with behavioural challenges. No mouse or rat case was "too difficult.”
After experiencing firsthand the widespread perils facing small animals, and how wonderfully those animals can flourish in a safe environment, officially starting a sanctuary seemed like the perfect way to make a bigger impact.
Above: a litter of 7 day old mice born from the “49 group.”
In 2023, OOTP was born. The purchase of new enclosures and equipment allowed for higher standards of resident care and a greater intake capacity. The creation of detailed policy documents and social media pages professionalised what was once a “hobby.”
OOTP began taking in a small number of rabbits, and in January 2024, we also took in our first guinea pig and native hopping mice.
While things have changed dramatically since our rescue work was a “hobby,” the heart of OOTP will always stay the same. That is the same passion, empathy, and sense of justice that first brought us to rescue. It’s about focusing our energy to make the biggest impact possible, while remaining small scale enough to provide every resident with the same high level of care.
Our Vision
We want to see a world where all animals are seen as morally valuable and are treated with the care and respect that they deserve. The world that we dream of is vegan, with an abundance of grassroots activism, animal sanctuaries, and community care.
Our Values
Benevolence means that we will seek to avoid causing harm, and will ease suffering when we see it.
Innovation means that we will seek to keep learning and growing, constantly improving our standards of care and education methods.
Integrity means that we will seek to provide accurate information and maintain transparency on matters of interest to our followers.
Righteousness means that we will seek to always speak and act when we see injustice.
Tenacity means that we will never stop seeking a kinder world.
Our values combine to state that OOTP will always aim to behave in the best interests of the animals under our care, of all oppressed animals including humans, and of the planet.