Sisu Refuge is a 501(c)3 nonprofit animal sanctuary specializing in urgent rescue, advanced medical treatments, and end-of-life care for rescued farmed animals - particularly large-breed pigs rescued from commercial farming operations.

At Sisu, pigs are not confined or managed for efficiency. They freely explore woods, marshes, ponds, creeks, and open pasture - engaging daily in natural behaviors such as rooting, foraging, wallowing, and social bonding. This freedom is not incidental - it is a core component of our care philosophy: Pigs deserve more than survival; they deserve choice, stimulation, and joy.

Our sanctuary is intentionally designed to support natural behavior, autonomy, and maximum freedom, even for animals with complex medical needs. Here, care is not limited to survival - it is centered on dignity. As our residents age or enter hospice, we place special emphasis on pain management, ongoing veterinary oversight, comfort, safety, and the ability to make choices about how they live each day - ensuring their final chapters are lived with compassion and respect.

Through powerful storytelling, we share each animal’s journey - highlighting their individuality, intelligence, and lived experience - to foster empathy, challenge cultural norms, and allow the animals themselves to advocate for change. Our online community of more than 750,000 supporters follows these stories in real time, forming deep connections with the residents in our care.

What makes our organization even more unique is our location.

Sisu Refuge is nestled away on a 47+ acre property in the center of Hog Country: Duplin County, North Carolina, the most intensively factory-farmed region in the world and home to the largest pig slaughterhouse on the planet. In a county where pigs outnumber humans nearly 29 to 1, and most are hidden from public view inside factory farms, our refuge offers a rare and visible alternative.

Here, animals live freely and safely, surrounded by enrichment, medical oversight, and respect. In a landscape shaped by industrialized suffering, Sisu Refuge stands as living proof that dignity, care, and compassion are possible - even at the end of life... where exploitation has long been normalized.