Lucky cow twice skips death;
now at Action Farm Sanctuary
Thanks to songwriter Diane Warren
By OW Staff
The only surviving cow among a group of 40 bovines who escaped a Pico Rivera slaughterhouse has arrived at her new home at a Southland farm sanctuary, where she will live out her days in peace.
“The as-of-yet unnamed cow is very hesitant and fearful of humans, which is unsurprising considering everything she’s gone through,’’ Farm Sanctuary in Acton posted on June 27. “She’ll likely calm down as the days go on and she comes to recognize that we aren’t going to hurt her, though she may never warm up to humans fully. But that’s one of the great parts of Sanctuary: we don’t force her to spend time with us; we allow her to just be.
“She’ll also have a routine thirty-day quarantine period to ensure she’s healthy, and doesn’t have anything she could pass on to our other residents. These first days, though, are just for her to settle in.’’
Forty cows got away on July 22 when an employee mistakenly left a door open. The animals stampeded through residential streets, causing some property damage. One was killed by a sheriff’s deputy after charging at a family, and one was recovered two days later in South El Monte, about five miles away.
That animal was sent to Farm Sanctuary thanks to the efforts of songwriter Diane Warren and the group Animal Alliance Network.
“Seeing these cows escaping their horrible fate broke my heart,’’ Warren said. “They knew what awaited them. These are smart, empathetic, beautiful souls.’’
Meanwhile, despite offers from other sanctuaries to provide homes for some of the other cows who briefly escaped the slaughterhouse, the other animals were killed for meat, company officials said.
Farm Sanctuary is reopening to the public for tours on July 10. There will be food available for purchase presented by Vegan Street Fair and featuring Vegan Hooligans and Happy Ice, and visitors will get a chance to meet other survivors from Manning Beef.
