Cow Flees as Herd Is Rounded Up for Slaughter, Deer Family Adopts Her as One of Their Own
Animals constantly surprise us with their intelligence and understanding of situations.
Some cats jump on their owners to alert them in dangerous situations. And this dog sneakily maneuvered preventative obstacles to get onto the kitchen counter.
And then there’s the cow that understood a moment of danger.
About a year ago, a young 4-month-old cow named Bonnie did something incredibly bold for a calf her age.
When her owner passed away last August, she and her herd were put up for sale by the owner’s family to be slaughtered. As she and her friends waited in line to be packed up for travel, she saw the perfect opportunity to escape — and that she did.
She sprinted into the woods in a small town in upstate Holland, New York, where no one would be able to capture her.
Over the course of almost an entire year, citizens of Holland only saw occasional glimpses of Bonnie as she wandered in nature.
From backyards to cameras in the woods, they spotted Bonnie just enough to know that she very much existed and was very much still alive.
Nearby citizens had an interesting situation on their hands, though. Through glimpses of pictures of Bonnie in the woods, they realized that she wasn’t surviving on her own outdoors. She had assimilated into a herd of deer, acting just as skittish as they do.
Bonnie wouldn’t go near humans for fear of her harmful capture, so she remained hidden and would run away from people.
However, knowing the danger of the brutal winter in New York, citizens were concerned for her survival through the snowy season.
That’s when Becky stepped in. Becky happened to own the section of woods in which Bonnie was hiding, and she knew that she needed to help her. Becky began sneaking into the woods daily with a sled of bedding and food for Bonnie to survive the inches upon inches of snow. Eventually, the deer followed suit and began loving the affection.
Becky soon learned that not everyone was on Bonnie’s side, however. When Bonnie wandered into other properties, neighbors threatened to kill her. Understanding that Bonnie needed to live in a different environment, Becky reached out to Farm Sanctuary for help leading Bonnie to a healthy environment.
In three trips over the course of two weeks, staff members at Farm Sanctuary would wake up as early as 3:30 a.m. each morning to try to capture Bonnie. They would enclose a fence as she met for her daily morning feeding with Becky, but Bonnie was hesitant and would run away as soon as she suspected danger.
But Farm Sanctuary kept trying. They eventually attempted sedating Bonnie, but Bonnie again ran away. So they increased the dosage and tried again — this time to their success. They holstered her and were able to lead her to their trailer.
Bonnie is now safely living in Farm Sanctuary in a healthy and friendly environment. We are so glad that Bonnie is now safe in a home that is welcoming and takes care of her!
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