Electrocuted Calf

December 7, 2010

A wonderful Sanctuary Supporter named Amy contacted us about this darling calf. When only a few days old, he got wrapped up in an electric cattle fence. The wire severed his tendons and cut through to the bone…and he received a massive shock every second for almost two days. The vet told us he was astonished that the calf was still alive. The baby received treatment when he was first injured in September, but was never followed up. The vet was horrified to learn that the bandage had never been removed, and warned that “It’ll be pretty nasty under there”. It makes no sense for us to adopt a calf (who will someday be a big boy!), as we’re already at our limit for winter grazing – and with the drought, even our lush summer grasses may not make it. My head said “No, absolutely not”… but one look at those beautiful gentle eyes and my heart said YES YES YES! It was a major mission getting him; a long hot stressful day that left us exhausted and ashamed of some of our fellow humans. But now he’s here, and it was all worth it. He may need surgery- we’ll know after our vet removes the disgusting bandage tomorrow. I thought about having a competition to name him, but Amy had already come up with the perfect name for an electrocuted calf: Sparky!!