‘The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. He said ‘I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of humankind.”

Kindness, consistency, care. Listen.

Animals are honest, animals remember. Each speaks loudly, but in a language of behavior and other cues many human beings simply do not hear.

Allison Sloane does. The team of humans around her do too. The level of dedication and commitment here simply much be observed to believe.

From the history and beauty brought out from this former mill site to the gardens, honeybees, cafe in the PRP Thrift complex to the newly-built sanctuary for exotics down the hill past the goat enclosure and geodesic dome — each aspect of this campus supports the rest. Ashleigh's Florist recently relocated to the property, parrots and reptiles were formerly housed with her business, all are interrelated. (Ashleigh is Allison's daughter).

Donate goods here and the sales go to support the care and feeding of the animals. The parrots, exotics, reptiles are loved and cared for, each life educates those who visit, work here, care for them. Each has a personality, a story. Ask and listen, look. Think and share. It matters.

Meet Allison Sloane accompanied by her service dog, American Akita Sam. And supporting crew, the marvelous family and people who connect this community. Better yet, visit. Walk and look around, be prepared to find a treasure or five. Ask about the history and architecture of this place. Echoes of Africa and ivory are here and the wheel of life has turned full circle. (More about that, linked to a story here.) This is a sanctuary for humans as well as exotics. Note the smiles and courtesy shown by those who visit. It's contagious, the acceptance and kind gestures, help offered. Just look.

Now here's a show and tell from a pre-opening visit. All so impressive. The hard work, every small detail. Learned much about the requirements for health and animals thriving, each species housed here. The beauty and the heart-breaking stories of how cruel humans can be. The building and home that now exists is a testament to choices made to shelter and help each living being fortunate enough to find their way to Pandemonium's home.

The name, by the way, stems from what a gathering of parrots is called, the collective noun.

It's a pandemonium.

The Pandemonium Rainforest Project, Inc. is committed to helping and rescuing any reptiles or parrots that have been traumatized, abused, neglected, abandoned or are in need of shelter, food and medical care.

Look up, art created for the sanctuary greets visitors.

The Pandemonium Rainforest Project, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a world-class, hands on, educational experience to the public, designed to cement our commitment to the rescue, rehabilitation and proper re-homing of reptiles and parrots. This will be accomplished by inspiring people to love and respect these animals while developing an understanding of the importance of their respective ecosystems.

The long-term objectives of The Pandemonium Rainforest Project, Inc. are to increase public awareness of the need for safe and healthy exotic pet care, the need for exotic pet education and rehabilitation facilities such as ours, and the availability of well-rehabilitated pets for those seriously interested in providing a safe, nurturing environment in a private home atmosphere. To this end, staff and volunteers will conduct public awareness programs aimed at making known these needs and the availability of classes to accomplish their goals. The funds raised and donated to the Project are directly applied to the cost and expenses of maintaining the facility, providing food, medical care and rehabilitation as well as staff overhead and out-placement.

Educate And Engage: Our goal, through proper education, will be to see fewer sick and wounded animals in our eventual care. One of our primary objectives is to focus on educating children. We feel that children are the future of the existence of our exotic animals in the wild. We intend to teach the importance of conservation efforts and the danger of ever decreasing environments. We hope, through our classroom work, to teach about ownership of exotics. We also hope to encourage a respect for the indigenous species of our area. With such a big undertaking, we need as much help as we can get! With the support of donations, we will be able to procure the land needed to build a large facility that will enable the Pandemonium Rainforest Project, Inc. to move forward with our mission. We greatly appreciate any donation you are able to make! If you are interested in contributing in other ways, please reach out to us. Here is the website with thumbnail sketches of birds and animals you may meet: https://pandemoniumrainforestproject.org/.

There are gardens and objects of created whimsy here and there, art on display and art for sale. Clothing, vintage collectibles, fishing gear, tools, electronics, household goods, a Christmas area, CDs, movies, small furniture, and an ever-present aura of tranquility should you need that as well.

Note: The opening quote is printed on the back of T-shirts and other garb available at the Pandemonium Rainforest Sanctuary in Deep River, Connecticut. Many sizes and styles available. Allison Sloane chose the full quote from Mahatma Gandhi. On the property is the PRP Thrift store (two floors) and the Ella cafe. Used book store and antiquarian book room that is a deeply peaceful room. Please note that no dogs are allowed because the animals on site are the reason for the sanctuary. Visitors may see resident cats, usually in the book areas, and will repeat that Allison Sloane's service dog Sam is on duty. The seasonal items are up front at the thrift store's first floor. Halloween was on display the day of my recent visit.

More images and videos linked here.

Just one more thing: Some day would like to witness the chimney swallows emerging from the open chimney here, that was mentioned along the tour as another wonder of this marvelous sanctuary complex. I suspect there are more to be revealed in time.