They declined to guarantee, however, that the calf wouldn’t eventually end up on someone’s plate. The agency’s staff certainly wasn’t going to take that risk!

Officers rescued the one-month-old, underweight and ailing with pneumonia, from neglect at the hands of a man who was raising him for slaughter. As Norman’s rescuers bottle-fed him and treated his illness, they couldn’t help but grow fond of their little charge. Determined to find him a safe home, one officer reached out to Farm Sanctuary, and Norman soon made the trip to our Northern California Shelter.

Considered byproducts by dairy producers, male calves are commonly left to die or sold at a pittance to be slaughtered for veal or raised for beef. Because male calves are abundant and cheap, they are easily replaced, and buyers have little incentive to invest in proper care. Typically taken from their mothers before they have a chance to nurse, these calves are also deprived of the immunity-bolstering colostrum in their mothers’ milk. Countless calves are left vulnerable to disease and neglect and spend their short lives languishing with untreated infections and injuries.

Norman, however, was lucky enough to receive excellent care from his rescuers and, having recovered from his pneumonia, was the image of health when he arrived at our shelter. He is one of the brightest and most independent calves we’ve met. When caregivers started weaning him from bottle feedings and graduating him to bucket feedings — a change that requires a few tries for most calves — Norman caught on immediately. When he’s not impressing staff with his precocity, Norman likes to relax outside in the shade, although frequent bursts of energy inspire him to abandon his repose and sprint back and forth across his yard.

There’s more excitement ahead for this young steer. He will soon travel to a wonderful home in southern California, where Farm Animal Adoption Network (FAAN) member Cynthia Pett-Dante is excited to welcome him.