Pippa was born on a farm that raises sheep for meat. Had she been healthy, she might have been slaughtered within eight months — the standard age for lamb’s meat production — or used to breed other lambs for slaughter. However, the farm reported Pippa failed to thrive, seemed partially blind, and had an injured hind leg. Despite all this, she went weeks without treatment.
A representative explained that as a fully operational farm, they didn’t have the time or money to invest in her care. Unfortunately, this is common in animal agriculture: Most farmers will only invest in animals they can sell, killing sick animals or leaving them to die. It’s more cost-effective to replace them — and to reallocate their food and basic upkeep — than to spend time and money when they may not recover.
The farm asked if we could take Pippa off their hands, and our Rescue and Placement team stepped in right away to arrange transport and quarantine space for Pippa at Farm Sanctuary. Then they drove 10 hours from our New York shelter to pick up Pippa and take her home.
Pippa might stay at Farm Sanctuary long-term, as we are within an hour’s drive from Cornell and could arrange any follow-up care she might need. If she returned to good health, we could also place Pippa in a loving home through our Farm Animal Adoption Network. This network is a nationwide collective of homes and sanctuaries that helps us find safe connections for farm animals in need.