Tinsel and Holly, The Best Present: Life
Animal Stories from All-Creatures.org

From Rooterville Animal Sanctuary
August 2013

Ripped from their loving mothers then slated for auction at just a few days old, these frightened babies were left for dead on the auction floor when they were deemed too weak to sell.

Rescued by Farm Sanctuary in New York, Tinsel and Holly received the immediate treatment necessary to survive, and ultimately thrive. Now safe and comfortable in their new home here at Rooterville, Tinsel and Holly are living reminders of the cruel fate slated for the offspring of dairy cows, who are bred constantly to increase their milk production.

Tinsel Holly calf calves

Don't fall for the myth that you need dairy for "strong bones", nothing could be further from the truth! Drinking cow's milk depletes your body's calcium. If this were not true, then why would the countries that consume the most milk have the most cases of osteoporosis? Don't buy the lie! Dairy protein has also been linked to Type 1 Diabetes in children exposed to dairy before the age of two and many people have allergies, irritable bowels and other symptoms caused by adverse reactions to dairy products. You can learn more at NotMilk.com.

Flashback

“The very saddest sound in all my memory was burned into my awareness at age five on my uncle’s dairy farm in Wisconsin. A cow had given birth to a beautiful male calf… On the second day after birth, my uncle took the calf from the mother and placed him in the veal pen in the barn—only ten yards away, in plain view of his mother. The mother cow could see her infant, smell him, hear him, but could not touch him, comfort him, or nurse him. The heartrending bellows that she poured forth—minute after minute, hour after hour, for five long days—were excruciating to listen to. They are the most poignant and painful auditory memories I carry in my brain.” Michael Klaper, M.D.


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