Leadership&Christian Council for
Human and Animal Ethics
We believe it is by Divine Providence that we have been brought together. Unified in mission and spirit, we serve to honor the sanctity of all life through the lens of compassion and Christian ethics, dedicated to the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We believe Jesus Christ is the only Son of God—that He was born of a virgin, died for our sins, and that whoever believes in Him receives everlasting life.
Our Mission
Driven by the love of Jesus Christ, Asha's Farm Sanctuary honors the sanctity of all creation by rescuing exploited animals and providing a sacred space for both humans and animals to heal and find joy in God's presence. Through Christ-centered mercy, we reveal the face of God in all who are broken and innocent—serving the poor, the abused, the traumatized, and the oppressed, where both humans and animals may heal together. Embracing God's original design in the Garden of Eden, we educate on the shared suffering of humans and animals while encouraging a healing lifestyle of plant food. By choosing food free from bloodshed, we foster deep connection, restore vibrant health, and renew hope for all as one interconnected family under God.
"But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind."
Job 12:7–10
✦Tracy Murphy-Cipparone, M.Sc., B.Sc.
Founder & President
Christian Council for Animal & Human Ethics
Tracy Murphy is the founder and president of Asha's Farm Sanctuary in Newfane, New York. A former corporate executive with nearly 30 years in banking—including serving as an Assistant Vice President at HSBC—Tracy left the corporate world to follow a "leap of faith" and dedicate her life to animal rescue.
Her path toward advocacy began over twenty years ago when a billboard exposing animal testing sparked a period of deep research into industrial farming practices. The systematic cruelty and lack of any compassion for the animals ultimately led her to ask God what she should do. He spoke to her heart, saying, "If it is not of mercy, it is not of Me," leading her to embrace a vegan lifestyle. Driven by this revelation, she established the Buffalo Vegan Society in 2007, an outreach program she eventually integrated into the sanctuary's mission.
In 2013, Tracy founded Asha's Farm Sanctuary, naming it in honor of her beloved dog, Asha. It was her tragic death from cancer that served as the catalyst for Tracy to follow God's calling to build the sanctuary. Since its beginning, Tracy has served as the primary caregiver for cows, sheep and ducks in need of refuge and love, providing a sanctuary of peace and mercy.
Tracy's commitment to faith and animal ethics drew international attention during a high-profile legal defense involving stray cows that wandered onto the sanctuary. This case culminated in a decisive court victory in 2024, affirming the sanctuary's compassionate mission.
In obedience to Jesus, Tracy has naturally extended the sanctuary's mission to be a vessel of God's mercy by not only providing a safe haven for His animals but by offering vegan nourishment to neighbors in need.
Learn more about Tracy's spiritual journey → Meet the Founder.
"Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.' And it was so."
Genesis 1:29–30
✦Michael J. Gilmour, Ph.D.
Christian Council for Animal & Human Ethics
Dr. Michael Gilmour is associate professor of New Testament and English literature at Providence University College in Manitoba, Canada, where he regularly offers an undergraduate course on animal theology. He is also a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics.
A scholar with a deep and abiding love for animals, Michael's work is an academic activism rooted in his own life as a committed vegan. His personal "aha" moment came through adopting retired racing greyhounds, an experience that opened his eyes to animal suffering and transformed his theological perspective. Today, his beloved dog Smithers is a constant companion in his life and work, representing the very bond of grace and mutuality that Michael encourages all people of faith to recognize in their own relations with animals.
Michael has authored several influential books on the intersection of faith and the animal kingdom, including Eden's Other Residents: The Bible and Animals, Animals in the Writings of C. S. Lewis, and Creative Compassion, Literature and Animal Welfare. Through these works, he helps bridge the gap between biblical literature and the modern humane movement.
Michael supports Asha's Farm Sanctuary because he believes it provides a vital, living example of the compassion and peaceable coexistence envisioned in scripture. He values the sanctuary as a place where theological Christian principles of animal stewardship are put into life-saving practice.