In July, Olive was one of several cows who courageously ran for their lives, escaping from a New York dairy farm. Unfortunately, all of the other animals were rounded up and sold, likely to face slaughter—but Olive clung to freedom. Local property owners spotted her regularly and reached out to us for help, suspecting Olive was pregnant and wanting her to be safe. The search for Olive soon became more urgent when we were told she most likely had already given birth. Our dedicated rescue team was on the way immediately to do all we could to help this cow family in need.

We found Olive’s vulnerable calf in the woods, unable to stand, and we quickly brought him to Cornell for urgently needed veterinary care. Tragically, the young calf was suffering from severe and untreatable musculoskeletal and joint abnormalities that left him unable to support himself without assistance. The veterinary team made the heartbreaking but compassionate decision to humanely euthanize him.

This was likely not the first time Olive had lost a calf. On dairy farms, cows are repeatedly impregnated only to have each baby taken from them, so the milk these mothers produce to nourish their calves can instead be sold to humans. 

But we were determined to ensure Olive would not suffer any more heartbreak. 

Many farmed animals we help have faced abuse and neglect on farms and in slaughterhouses. It can take time for these resilient individuals to learn that we will help and not harm them. Olive, most likely experiencing freedom and autonomy for the first time in her life, was too frightened to come close as we tried to secure her for rescue. Our team spent weeks in the cold weather patiently waiting for Olive, and the property owners kindly helped us keep her food stocked.

We monitored this grieving mother cow as she slowly approached, going in and out of our pen, where we left food and water for her. Our hearts soared one day as she was secured inside, only to see her break free again in fear of what might come next. 

“Sanctuary work is filled with so many highs and lows, as in the case of Olive’s rescue. She has such a strong will to survive and she gave us many challenges as we tried to rescue her. Olive’s life has been full of adversity; she escaped a dairy farm that sold off the entire herd, lived in the woods for several months fending for herself,  gave birth in the woods, and then lost her baby to underlying medical conditions. Olive had no reason to ever trust humans. Her fear was real, and this made rescuing her a challenge, to say the least. I always say, ‘There is no school of rescue,’ and all the long nights were worth it as we learned and observed Olive on camera, watching her behaviors and adjusting our strategies several times as we collected all the data,” says Mario Ramirez, Director of Sanctuary Environment, Rescue, & Transport.

Eventually, the patience and empathy of our rescuers were rewarded, as Olive summoned the trust to stay in the pen long enough for us to get her secured for transport to Farm Sanctuary. 

“Olive is now safe at Farm Sanctuary, and her new life is just beginning. Rest in peace, Olive’s baby boy. I only knew you for a short time, but you will never be forgotten. We had to find resolve and peace in knowing that he was no longer suffering in the woods, unable to move. Rescue is and will always be about the animals,” adds Mario.