A wildlife shelter is trying to raise £250,000 to pay for a new home for the 400 animals it looks after after being ordered to leave its current site.

Happy Pants Ranch in Newington, near Sittingbourne, cares for a variety of species, most of which have special needs, including an epileptic pig, blind and deaf dog and three-legged cats.

But these animals could be destroyed if the sanctuary cannot find a new home before it must close in nine months, charity boss Amey James says.

Happy Pants set up in a 20-acre site in Iwade Road in 2021 with the permission of the landowner after having to move from its previous base at Yelsted.

But since then it has been embroiled in a three-year planning battle with Swale council over formally changing the use of the land from agricultural to an animal rescue.

The charity’s last hope of staying on the land was scuppered on Thursday (December 5) when she lost her appeal against Swale council’s rejection of permission.

The charity has now been given nine months to leave.

Amey said she does not have the funds to pay for a move after spending any money she did have on the current site.

She started up a GoFundMe page with a target goal of £250,000 on Friday (December 6) and it has raised more than £5,200 at the time of publication.

Amey told kmfm this morning that the cash would pay for the transportation of the animals as well as buying a new home – although that may not be in Kent.

She said: “We're only a small charity and we completely rely on donations so we don't have money in the bank for a situation like this.

“It would be a shame to have to leave Kent because we've been based here for 10 years and we've got a really good support network.

“But I'm not attached to Kent. I like Kent and we've been here for a long time but if something else came up somewhere else, I would just move.

“To me, home is where the animals are. I'm a great believer in fate and where the universe will take us.”

To view the fundraising page click here.

Amey thanked supporters for their continuing help.

She added: “If every follower donated £1 we'd have £75k, which would be an amazing start.

“I know times are difficult for everyone so even just sharing online and raising awareness of the situation and of the charity would be a massive help.”

Amey is also embroiled in a further battle over allegedly breaching a council order to stop nuisance noise coming from the ranch - a charge she denied in court last month.

It comes after complaints from neighbours over “constant daily noises” from her cockerels, geese, sheep, cattle and dogs.

Explaining why it had taken the action, a Swale council spokesperson said: “The Happy Pants Ranch applied for retrospective planning approval in 2021 and after assessing the application against national planning policy and our own local planning policies this was rejected.

“A planning enforcement notice was issued in 2022 to rectify these breaches, in line with our policies.

“The notice was subsequently appealed by the applicant, and an inspector appointed by the Secretary of State dismissed the appeal, upheld our notice - subject to variations - and agreed with our original refusal of planning permission.

“The enforcement notice requires that the mix use of the site stops, and that the land needs to be restored to its original condition before the breaches took place.”