Jackie, a resilient maternal figure to our Acton cow herd, embodies the strength of this love each day. Before coming to live at Farm Sanctuary, though, she survived tremendous losses—including the death of her little boy, who passed shortly after their rescue.

However, her child’s existence saved her life.

Jackie came from the beef industry. When she was sent to slaughter, she was young—and she was pregnant with her son, John. She likely gave birth in transit. The slaughterhouse could have killed them both; instead, the boss turned them over to rescuers. He knew the young calf needed his mother—and that Jackie deserved the chance to raise her baby.

Tragically, though, the little calf failed to thrive. Though the rescuers brought in a veterinarian, little John was too far gone. He died before they made it to Farm Sanctuary. We let Jackie spend the night with her boy—otherwise, she might think people took a living baby away. After all, that’s what she knew. Jackie took time to mourn John. She bellowed straight from her heart.

Cows are herd animals and prefer the company of their favorite friends and family. If given the chance, they’ll stay together for life. Jackie would have grown up at her mother’s side—nursing not just for nutrition but also security. She would have done the same for John had he lived. At Farm Sanctuary, we’ve seen young adults, now taller than their moms, nurse for comfort even after they’ve been weaned.

The beef industry slaughters calves when they’re 12 to 15 months old, while many rescued cows live into their teens and twenties! Their mothers may be bred for seven to nine years before they’re killed for lesser-quality beef. Yet Jackie had even less time: she was only two or three years old when brought to the slaughterhouse for disposal.

Still, those trapped in the beef industry have more time with their loved ones than cows raised for dairy—those moms might have only weeks, days, hours, or mere minutes with their children before they’re taken away to preserve their milk for humans. Beef farmers profit from fat cows and steers; nursing gives calves a good head start. But their eventual separations are still painful—perhaps they’re even more painful since they’ve had more time to bond.

Jackie might have had another calf in her short time on the range; she likely mourned the separation of several friends and even her own mother. And like people, some animals can die from broken hearts. Without John—without that mother-child bond—could Jackie go on?

We can never replace a loved one. We hoped, however, that Jackie might start to heal with time.

She was very skittish when she arrived and continued to tremble and bellow with grief. But that started to change when she met Dixon: a young, orphaned Holstein calf craving a mother’s touch.

Dixon was a sickly calf and had to spend extra time in quarantine before joining our larger herd. As he recovered, we moved newcomer Jackie to the pen next door, where the two could sniff and talk to one another. When Jackie heard his excited moos, we began to see a new spark in her eyes. Somebody needed her.

No longer alone, Jackie’s breaths took a more even tempo. After she and Dixon moved in together, they took turns grooming each other with their tongues: an essential form of bonding in cows. And when it was time to join the larger herd, they took those tentative yet hopeful first steps together.

It’s been almost two years since Jackie joined our family. In that time, she’s continued to heal through pride and joy in her new brood. She co-parents the youngsters alongside Liberty—another cow rescued from the same slaughterhouse with her daughter, Indigo, last year.

Jackie is still wary of people, but she’s bright and at ease around her people. Whether leading her family through courtyard romps or relaxing by their sides in the shade, she finds peace and purpose through her beloved kids.

In the beef industry, Jackie was born to give birth—she existed to breed babies for slaughter. Here, it’s clear that she was born to be a mother: that love never dies but keeps growing stronger.