Autumn grew up with a herd of cows raised for meat. As a Hereford breed, ranchers only valued her for the flesh on her bones. And if things had gone according to plan, her life would have been drastically short.

But in the summer of 2020, Autumn’s path took a different turn. A lucky escape and an act of compassion led this yearling to safety.

Cows generally have no control over their own lives. Humans decide what happens to them, every step of the way. In Autumn’s case, ranchers had sold her herd. But as they loaded her family onto trailers, Autumn somehow managed to slip away and was left behind.

It’s not clear where Autumn and her herd went from there. Maybe to another field, maybe off to slaughter. But no matter where they wound up, a cow’s time at pasture is short—they’re slaughtered between 12 and 24 months of age. That moment in the sun is just one short chapter in a larger, more heartbreaking story.

But not for Autumn.

The yearling was on her own for some months. In her search for her family and friends, she came across another herd. In them, she found refuge. Cows are herd animals, so her new companions helped her feel more secure.

But Autumn’s safety was still up in the air—and a human eventually spotted the outsider. Since she didn’t sell with the rest of the herd, her original “owner” still had legal rights over her. And when he learned about Autumn’s adventures, he offered to come out and shoot her.

Autumn’s life was again at the mercy of people. And here, at this second crossroads, compassion won out.

Farm Sanctuary was nearby. The guardians of Autumn’s surrogate herd asked us if we’d be able to help. We agreed and Autumn’s original owner agreed. Now, all we had to do was catch her.

Autumn’s situation reminded us of a 2018 rescue. Bonnie, another Hereford cow, also escaped sale and slaughter. She hid in the neighboring woods for months. She was frightened and didn’t trust humans, so her rescue took several tries. But it was also a good learning experience for our team. Armed with this knowledge, we set out to corral Autumn and bring her to safety.

First, we had to learn more about Autumn. After chatting with the landowners, we pinpointed the places she spent the most time and felt most comfortable. That’s where we set up a hay-filled pen. The hope was that her routine—and the lure of food—would bring her towards the corral.

Our team kept our distance, and we waited. From other rescues, we knew our plan might take some time and adjusting, based on Autumn’s reaction. But everything went seamlessly! With the landowners’ help, we secured Autumn in the corral that very night.

By the time we returned to Farm Sanctuary, it was past 10 p.m. But that didn’t stop our live-in staff from heading up to the barn (some still in their pajamas!) to congratulate the team and welcome our newest friend.

At Farm Sanctuary, we quarantine all incoming animals before introducing them to our other residents. This helps us catch and treat any illness they might have, while keeping everyone else safe and healthy. Still, this doesn’t mean complete isolation. Although Autumn had her own barn stall, she was close enough to see and hear our other cows, which helped her settle in.

Once Autumn’s health screenings came back clear, we introduced her to Freddie and Lenny—two calves who arrived a few weeks before Autumn. While the boys fell in sync right away, Autumn didn’t seem to like them very much. They’d occasionally groom each other, but she spent much of her time on her own, or communicating with our main herd through the fence.

The original plan was to place all three with Peacefield, a Florida sanctuary and member of our Farm Animal Adoption Network. But after seeing Autumn’s indifference to the boys, we considered another option. We’d rescued a five-month old calf named Otis from a beef farm just a few weeks prior. Perhaps he might get along better with Freddie and Lenny, as they were all much closer in age?

As it turned out, the boys were a great fit! They often played and groomed each other—a sign of bonding among cows—and loved being together. And Autumn was much happier apart from their juvenile shenanigans.

But she would also need a herd of her own.

Enter Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary, another Florida-based partner in our rescue network and home to our old friend Seymour (a water buffalo!). We were going to bring Otis there during the same trip as our Peacefield transport. Instead, the boys formed their own little herd, while Autumn joined a much larger group with Seymour and the cows at Critter Creek. She’d always shown more interest in our larger main herd, so this new plan felt like a better fit.

In December, once everyone was well enough to travel, we brought Autumn and the boys to their new homes. Hers was a very easy introduction: shortly after stepping off our trailer, Autumn found another cow who looked exactly like her. The rest of the herd then surrounded their new friend, and Autumn settled in as though she’d been there forever!

Thanks to rescue partners like Peacefield and Critter Creek, we can place more animals in permanent, loving homes. And the next time another cow like Autumn needs our help, we can offer them the space and care they need—all while helping more people see these animals as worthy of compassion.