In this Our Hen House interview, Mariann Sullivan sits down with Simone Scampoli, executive director of Capra Libera Tutti animal sanctuary near Rome, Italy, to explore how sanctuaries function as spaces of transformation. Simone shares the sanctuary’s origin story, its evolving relationship with a once-exploited mountain landscape, and the philosophy of consent and animal agency that shapes every visitor interaction — offering a powerful vision for how sanctuaries can reshape society’s relationship with animals.

• How Capra Libera Tutti began when a sheep farmer’s transformation led him to found a sanctuary near Rome in 2015
• Why sanctuaries serve as “movement infrastructure” — living spaces where multispecies community and animal agency become lived practice
• How the sanctuary reclaimed a mountain from the animal farming industry to give wildlife and rescued animals a natural habitat
• The role of consent and body language in teaching visitors, students, and schoolchildren to ethically interact with sanctuary animals
• How storytelling — both animal and human — helps educate the public and inspire the next generation of animal advocates

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Simone Scampoli is Vice President and Executive Director of Capra Libera Tutti. For years, he has worked to turn animal liberation activism into tangible change capable of engaging individuals, communities, and institutions. His approach brings together education, organizing, and strategy, drawing on the daily experience of Capra Libera Tutti: a place where animals’ stories expand the collective imagination and open up new possibilities for social and cultural transformation.

 

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