Baby Cow Lives in the Forest with a Family of Deer to Avoid the Slaughterhouse

Life can be difficult when you are a cow.

It isn’t always standing in a green pasture, grazing and chewing cud. They sometimes face stressful situations.

Such was the case with a baby cow named Bonnie. She was only four months old and living with other cows in Holland, New York, on a farm that raised cows for slaughter.

According to Farm Sanctuary, Bonnie was stressed over the cries of her family being sold to a slaughterhouse, so she decided to do something about it.

The owners of the farm were filling up a trailer with other cows, and Bonnie saw an opportunity. She ran away without anyone seeing and hid in the forest.

Beginning Her New Life

Eventually, the farmers recognized the fact that they were missing one of their valuable cows, so they started looking. News about Bonnie also began spreading to others, but she remained under the radar.

It wasn’t until hunters set up trail cams in the nearby area that they discovered Bonnie. The young calf was living in the forest, but she wasn’t alone. She was surrounded by a family of deer.

When people heard about Bonnie and her situation, they wondered how she could possibly live, especially during the cold winter months. She had her deer family, but would that be enough?

A Kind Stranger Appears

That is where Becky Bartels comes in. She knew that Bonnie would struggle in the winter, so she grabbed her sled and filled it with food and bedding.

Every day during the winter months, she would pull the sled through the snow to ensure Bonnie had what she needed to be comfortable and well-fed.

At first, Bonnie kept a safe distance, but it wasn’t long before she was coming up to Bartels to get a snack and a scratch behind the ears.

More Help was Needed

Unfortunately, not everybody in the area was as friendly as Bartels, and some neighbors even threatened to kill Bonnie if she came on their land. Bartels knew she needed to do something quickly, so she contacted the nonprofit Farm Sanctuary.

That organization sent a truck, but Bonnie was not comfortable with the situation. They had to sedate her, but they were able to move her to Farm Sanctuary, where she is now living a good life.

Bonnie may have started out living on a farm dedicated to slaughtering cows, but she is now living on a forever farm where she gets all of the affection and care she needs.