Before the Coronavirus pandemic, things looked a lot different for Lori Deprospo and her wife.
Lori was teaching special education while her wife ran things at their 13-acre property in Ramona, also known as the King Wolf Animal Sanctuary.
"We have mini horses, big horses, we have donkeys, we have an alpaca and a lot of goats. We also have two pot belly pigs so we have a lot of animals here," Lori described.
But after the pandemic, Lori, like most teachers was forced to stay in. That's when she read about another animal sanctuary in Northern California that needed help giving virtual zoom field trips.
"We saw that they were overloaded with people that were interested so I contacted them and asked if they needed our help."
They responded yes and it was soon showtime for their animals. Lori gave the tours while her wife got everyone camera ready.
"Our animals have been appearing in corporate meetings, meetings with healthcare workers, they've been in birthday parties, bachelorette parties. Penny, our goat, had a little crown that said 'bride' on it so that was fun'."
They also brought joy to students, teachers and those actively on the front lines.
"A lot of meetings with healthcare workers, doctors and nurses so it's nice to make them smile during these stressful times. Usually the host plans it so that the other participants are surprised and it's just nice to see people laugh and smile when they see our animals on camera," Lori said.
There's no set price for their virtual field trips, they accepted donations and simply asked to 'Remember them the next time you're in Ramona'.
"I know a lot of people are struggling financially but a lot of people are saying even from across the country, 'we want to get out to San Diego and visit the sanctuary and meet the animals in person'. We are very grateful and it's helped us out and we get to make people smile, so its a win-win for everyone here."
