Friday, September 17, 2010

Tommy the Steer

Tommy

Beautiful Tommy is the newest bovine resident at the sanctuary. He is an Angus, bred to grow fast to be slaughtered young. It takes up to 5 years for most bovines to reach full size, yet beef cattle are killed when they're only a little over 2 years old. Pretty young.

Tommy's small stature saved him. His "owner", a woman who saw him only as a commodity and an ideal marbled specimen, was too embarrassed to bring him to her butcher. He was too small, she said! Instead, she planned on sending him to auction but a kind-hearted horse lover stepped up and took him in.

He spent a year growing up wonderfully perfect. And now, he's ready to meet his new cow friends. He'll stay in his personal pasture for the next week and then it's off to meet the rest of the herd. They have already had long conversations across fence lines and are looking forward to the introductions.

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