From separating mothers and babies, to painful procedures like dehorning, castration and tail-docking without pain relief, the dairy industry is cruel! Buy or make your own plant-based milk and cheese instead.
Animal care intern Gabriella spending some quality time with newly rescued calf Magnolia. Magnolia was considered trash by the dairy farm because she cannot get pregnant and therefore can't produce milk. Milk hurts. Try plant-based milks instead!
Magnolia excels at the act of being adorable. Did you know when a female calf is born with a male twin, she is sterile? The milk industry considers sterile female calves useless. Like male calves, they are often denied colostrum - that first milk, full of antibodies - and sold as "drop calves" at auctions for anywhere between $5-50. Magnolia was malnourished when we rescued her and is still in great need of weight gain. While we work on that, we hope (if you have not already) that you will work on transitioning toward friendlier foods...like soy, coconut, almond, or cashew based milks, cheeses, and ice creams.
Shelby decided to grow another head and call her Magnolia.
Please welcome the newest bovine to the herd - Magnolia. She is a free-martin, meaning she is sterile and cannot get pregnant. This made her value-less to the #dairy farm. She still needs to gain some more weight but she and Shelby are happy to have each other now.
Shelby - a victim of the dairy industry - giving this photographer the stink eye. Now safe and sound at the sanctuary.
As an intern, like Sarah, you may get the chance to feed a 2.5 month old calf Shelby hay. Apply to feed a calf hay today! Internships available at our Grass Valley and Vacaville facilities. http://animalplace.org/get-invovled-sanctuary-internships/
Have you heard the awesome story of Shelby’s rescue? She’s healing well from emaciation and injuries and is even starting to play!
Nick is a Jersey cow* with the cutest mophead! He arrived at Animal Place on Christmas day at 2 days old. Like all male calves born in the dairy industry, Nicholas is a “by-product,” as he does not produce profitable milk. Unwanted male Jersey calves from the dairy industry are sold at auction for as little as $3 to be raised for slaughter. Lucky for Nick, he is safe and sound at Animal Place!
Nicholas likes to do everything on his own terms. He will let you know in an instant how he feels about being interrupted when eating! He loves to roll in tambark piles and is very playful with new stuff added to his pasture. *Cow used colloquially here.
Our dear friend Linus passed away suddenly from bloat over the weekend. We are all devastated.
He was one of five calves from the dairy industry bought at auction for less than ten dollars each. All five calves were subsequently starved to the point that Santa Cruz County Animal Services confiscated them.
Linus and Douglas came to Animal Place while the other three calves went to another sanctuary.
Linus was picky about his human friends but always gentle with everyone. He remained close friends with Douglas.
After he died, we left his body in the pasture so the other cows could see and smell him. Douglas did not seem to understand and went to lay down elsewhere. Bob and Mortimer settled down right next to Linus while Nicholas gently groomed his cooling body. They feel compassion and love and mourn for their fallen friends.
Linus spent a good 4+ years here at Animal Place...but we so wish it could have been more.
Do humans really need to drink cow’s milk? ABSOLUTELY NOT! We have been duped into believing that we need to consume the milk of another species to be strong. Cow milk is meant to transform a 65 pound calf into a 800 pound yearling cow. Let’s grow up! As weaned adults, we can get our nutrients without stealing milk from a baby calf! “If you were to follow a healthy diet with whole grains, nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables, and give up dairy and all dairy-based products, then you could be disease-free for life.” Giving up dairy isn’t only the ethical choice, but it’s so easy now with all of the plant-based milk alternatives! http://food.ndtv.com/opinions/do-you-really-need-to-drink-milk-744963
FDA admits to finding illegal antibiotics in milk supply - meaning farmers are violating food safety regulations for cows on dairies. We can’t say we’re surprised.... http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2015/03/08/391248045/fda-tests-turn-up-dairy-farmers-breaking-the-law-on-antibiotics
Is drinking milk natural or utterly disgusting?
One of the main arguments for eating animals and their byproducts is that’s it’s “natural.” There’s nothing natural about the dairy industry. In order for a cow to produce milk, she must give birth - meaning she is forcibly impregnated over and over again until she is spent and ultimately sent to a painful, cruel slaughter. Most dairy farms remove calves from their moms right after birth. If the calf is female, she will be raised to replace her mom who is slaughtered at 4-7 years of age. Cows can live into their late teens. If the mother gives birth to a male, he will be raised for veal or cheap dairy beef. If he is raised for veal, he will be slaughtered at 16-24 weeks of age. If he is being killed for “cheap dairy beef”, he will only be 15-18 months old.
Photo Credit: Twyla Francois
Over 50,000 protesters rallied in Berlin to demand changes on behalf of farmed animals over the weekend! If that’s not putting compassion into action… we don’t know what is!
What other ways can individuals advocate for farmed animals in their everyday lives?
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-fcdc-50,000-protest-in-Berlin-to-protect-farming-from-big-business
Have you shared The Faces of Dairy? Three of the many reasons to try plant-based milks and cheese.
Synthetic Milk
Remember when we first heard about in vitro meat? Scientists are trying to do the same thing with milk. In an attempt to address the environmental and ethical impacts of dairy farming, scientists are making dairy in a lab. Disclaimer: cows are still abused in the making of this process.
We want to know! Would you drink this?