Summer of Goats

By Susie Coston, National Shelter Director

Summer has finally arrived, and the winter chill is fading to a distant memory. With the warm weather and longer days has also come a new phenomenon: Goats have taken over the Internet. Yes, goats. They’re cavorting through YouTube, overrunning BuzzFeed, and bounding into Facebook and Twitter newsfeeds as they play on slides, ride school buses, triumph over adversity, sing the Jurassic Park theme song, and appear unimpressed by British royalty.

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Ingrid and Marilyn perfecting goat tomfoolery at our New York Shelter.

Whether goats have risen to popularity due to their curiosity, their irreverence, or their charming sense of rebellion, these charismatic creatures have gained some well-deserved pop-culture notoriety. By the end of June, Jezebel’s Kelly Faircloth had declared: “2014 is the Summer of Goats.”

Of course, we’ve always been big goat fans here at Farm Sanctuary. With over 25 years of experience rescuing and caring for animals, we’ve become an authority on all things goat. Although all of the goats at our shelters have been rescued from the sort of hardships that don’t make it into cute, viral videos, these indomitable animals remain some of the most joyful, funny, and fascinating characters you could ever hope to meet. So, join us as we celebrate our goat friends this summer on our website, Facebook, and Twitter pages.

Here are a few of our newest residents to help us begin celebrating the summer of goats.

The absurdly cuddly Totes, an orphaned kid, was rescued by a United States Coast Guardsman.

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Our sweet Jordan was raised by a 4-H participant, but he ended up in pain and peril on the streets of New York City. Safe at our shelter, he’s healed and having a blast.

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Abandoned at our gate and too small to join our adult goats, Hemingway found an unusual feathered friend — Ryan the gosling.

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The cutest goat videos of Farm Sanctuary:

 

Remembering Ivan

By Susie Coston, National Shelter Director

Ivan has been a part of my life for as long as I’ve worked at Farm Sanctuary. When I arrived at the New York Shelter 14 years ago, Ivan was here to welcome me; he had been rescued during a cruelty case years before. And in the years since, I had the pleasure of seeing this incredible goat nearly every day.

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When I think of Ivan, I think of the beautiful friendships he forged during his time with us. For many years, he had two best friends: TJ, an older goat who was the head honcho and reigning curmudgeon of the goat herd, and a goat named DiMaggio who was around Ivan’s age. The three of them spent their days rambling through our lush pastures, enjoying every moment of shelter life. Sadly, TJ passed away in 2009, leaving Ivan to assume the role of herd leader.

Ivan and DiMaggio became inseparable after TJ’s death, and they loved each other fiercely. From play-fighting out in the pasture to sleeping contentedly side by side in the barn, these two boys did everything together. Their friendship was an important part of Ivan’s life, and he was distraught when DiMaggio died of cancer.

Farm animals form strong bonds and mourn when they lose their herd mates, but thankfully Ivan was able to open his heart again. He developed another close relationship with an elderly goat named Shante who also had lost two close friends. Once Shante began spending time with kind and loving Ivan, each found a new best friend and a renewed sense of comfort. They spent the last two years of Ivan’s life making each other very happy.

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Ivan and Shante playing.

Although Ivan was healthy and active as he aged, last winter was difficult for him. Some health issues arose that are common among elderly goats, as did some symptoms that stumped his doctors. But, with care and treatment, Ivan rallied and managed to have yet another wonderful year.

This winter was different, however. Regardless of the many precautions we take and the extra comforts we provide, winter is a hard time for our elderly animals — and Ivan was no exception. Everything seemed fine until one day Ivan was suddenly too weak to stand. His legs were swollen, and he was clearly dehydrated. We quickly drove him to meet our vet in a parking lot, where he put a catheter in place and drew blood, which was rushed to the diagnostic lab. Unfortunately, the results revealed that Ivan was a very sick goat suffering from the final stages of renal failure.

Even with fluid therapy and around-the-clock care, Ivan’s condition rapidly worsened to the point that he was unable to hold his head up. At 17 years old, Ivan was clearly ready to say goodbye, and any extreme attempts to treat him would have been more for our benefit than for his. Euthanasia was the only compassionate option to spare him further suffering, and we were all devastated to lose our cherished friend.

We have all felt this loss deeply. It’s hard for me to convey just what a powerful presence Ivan was at the shelter. He was an impressive giant of a goat with long, graceful horns, but he was gentle and kind to every member of the herd. Goats establish a herd hierarchy largely through physically challenging one another, and dominance is determined primarily by strength. Yet, even when Ivan was older and clearly weaker, no goat in the herd ever challenged him. His benevolent leadership was accepted unanimously.

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Despite the cruelty he faced early in life, Ivan was gracious to humans and patient with everyone he met. He was even patient while asking for attention and known for silently inching to your side, politely waiting for you to give him some love. His sponsors adored him, and those who were able to visit him always brought him treats. And although he saw these sponsors only a few times a year, Ivan clearly remembered them as well as so many other human friends he has made over the years.

Ivan loved to roam and graze in our goat pasture and lounge casually on our goat jungle gym. But no matter how far away he was, Ivan would always come if you called his name. Knowing that we’ll never see Ivan and his beautiful family running to greet us when we call out to him is the hardest part. Now, our magnificent, regal Ivan has gone on to roam further pastures, comforted by his old pals.

I will miss Ivan dearly, as will everyone else who had the pleasure of meeting this special goat.

Ivan_Goat NY_Ivan goat bw_CREDIT Jo-Anne McArthur

Baby Boom

By Susie

It was a baby-boom summer at our New York Shelter! We frequently rescue young and even newborn animals. Less frequently, we have the opportunity to help deliver animals at the sanctuary when we rescue those who are already pregnant. In these cases, our caregivers face intensive prenatal rehabilitation efforts, sleepless nights keeping watch as the crucial moment approaches, high-risk deliveries, plenty of hard work to help new moms and babies in the early days… and great excitement as we watch new life begin to flourish and new families grow.

Julia and Her Babies

Just a five days before July 4, Farm Sanctuary’s Emergency Rescue Team arrived at a factory pig farm where authorities were confiscating a pregnant breeding sow. The day before, a worker had brutally kicked, beaten, and shocked her as she screamed in pain. Settling her in our trailer, we saw the bruises and burns on her body — and profound fear in her eyes.

A mere eight hours after arriving at our New York Shelter, the sow, now named Julia, gave birth to 16 premature piglets. Our entire shelter staff leapt into action to provide the 24-hour, critical care these fragile babies needed to survive. Their mother, too, required weeks of careful treatment including fluids and treatment for mastitis. Although she still required medical care, her fear was clearly gone. The trust she immediately displayed for her new caregivers, and the patience and love she gave to her babies, have been an inspiration to us all.

Today mom and babies are thriving. Dynamic duo Antonio and Bertha and best pals Gus and Ben have already found wonderful adoptive homes, and more adoptions are coming soon. With their new families, these piglets will be showered with attention and spend the rest of their lives in the company of their beloved siblings. Mom Julia is staying with us along with two of her piglets, Diane and Linus.

Oleander and Pappas

Earlier in the summer, we rescued seven emaciated cattle from a central New York property where they had been starving to death in a barren field. In adjacent barns, sheep, chickens, and a goat also languished in neglect, and nearby loomed a makeshift slaughterhouse. We rescued more than 60 animals from this grisly scene.

During physical exam, we quickly discovered that Oleander, one of the cows, had been struggling not only to survive but also to support new life. Neglect had placed both her and her unborn calf at risk, and we did all we could to nourish them both as the birth drew near.

With vigilant care, Oleander gained sufficient strength to bring a healthy boy, Pappas, into the world. Her growing strength was accompanied by growing joy. The young mother and her son delight in each other, and Oleander is never far from her youngster’s side. Recently, this little family has grown with the addition of a calf named Elijah, who has become a best friend to Pappas and a second son to Oleander.

Belinda & Elijah

The story of Elijah’s mother, Belinda, exemplifies the maternal benevolence of cows, not only toward their own flesh and blood but also to other calves in need. Belinda was among the herd of rescued cattle that included Oleander. She too, already desperately depleted from starvation and nursing her calf Octavia, was carrying a new baby. She is also a very old cow, and it is likely that she was kept in a cycle or pregnancy for more than a decade before arriving at our shelter. By the time Belinda was rescued, her body had stopped producing milk in order to support her new pregnancy. Fortunately, herd mate Luna stepped in, allowing Octavia to nurse alongside her own calf, Orchid. This trio became inseparable, and after recuperating at our shelter, they have been adopted by Vine Sanctuary in Vermont.

With the help of Luna and her new caregivers, Belinda was able to carry her baby to term. Mother and son’s time together, however, was soon interrupted. Still weak from neglect and taxed from giving birth, Belinda fell gravely ill and was rushed to the hospital. Although he was sad to be away form his mother, Elijah was a trooper during her weeks of recovery and quickly took to the bottle.

Finally after more than six weeks, Belinda was well enough to return to the shelter. Still weak and vulnerable to udder infection, however, she was in no condition to nurse. We tried fitting her with a special bra to prevent Elijah from trying to suckle, but his presence caused her to begin lactating again, and she immediately contracted mastitis. Knowing this could cost Belinda her life, we were forced to separate them. To lift his spirits, we introduced him to Pappas and his mother, Oleander. The two calves bonded instantly, and, within a few days, Oleander had fallen for Elijah as well, allowing him to nurse and becoming as protective of him as she is of Pappas.

Now Belinda can focus all of her energy on getting well. When she grows stronger, she will join other rescued cattle, make friends, and form new bonds. As Octavia and Elijah have done with their adoptive mothers and siblings, she will build a new family. That’s part of the new life created by this baby boom: not only life beginning but also life beginning again.

Animals used in food production, from dairy cows and pigs to chickens and sheep, rarely have the opportunity to experience the mother–child bond – in fact, piglets, calves, and lambs most often are taken from their mothers soon after birth. Some, such as male dairy calves, are sold for cheap beef or simply left to die in agony. Others, like the parents they’ll never know, become yet more “units” in our food-production system, processed for maximum growth at the expense of their health, their sanity, and their lives. This emotionally wrenching process is just one of the many hidden cruelties farm animal production.

Come meet these new families at our New York sanctuary and experience for yourself the remarkable love and devotion farm animals have for their young — or learn more about them online: The Mother and Calf Bond and Julia and Her Piglets.