Cleveland Amory loved animals and his love of animals only intensified after he read Black Beauty as a child. The book inspired a dream to have a place where animals could live out their lives in peace and comfort.
As an adult, Amory had a successful working life as an author, reporter and TV commentator and was financially able to buy a ranch in Texas and start his dream of a sanctuary for animals. Thus began Black Beauty Ranch. The first animals placed on the ranch were wild burros destined to be exterminated by the Park Service. Amory and Fund for Animals rescued hundreds of burros. But burros were not the only creatures who found a second life on the Black Beauty Ranch. Elephants, chimps, dogs, cats, goats, bison, big cats, and, of course, horses all found a home there. In this book, Amory tells harrowing stories of the unnecessary suffering inflicted on animals by callous and uncaring human beings and points out the desperate need for intervention by those who can see the world beyond their own selfish needs and desires.
The Black Beauty Ranch sounds like a wonderful place and Amory's role in establishing it makes for a terrific and inspiring tale. A worthy read for anyone who cares at all about this planet and the creatures that share it with humanity.
The Black Beauty Ranch is now run by the Human Society. Cleveland Amory died in 1998 but he left behind an amazing legacy. The Humane Society has a short video on YouTube about the ranch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=6lifGkijVhc
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