Calf Rescued From Slaughterhouse Sees Lush Green Pasture for the First Time Ever- Here’s What She Did

While not all animals can be saved from the slaughter of dairy agriculture, those who are fortunate enough to get rescued, end up healing everyone. Early in 2022, the California-based rescue facility, The Gentle Barn (@thegentlebarn) rescued a cow named Audrey and her calf, Truth. Audrey was pregnant and was expected to deliver the baby by the autumn. But the baby popped out in July. That day, about 40 miles north of Los Angeles, surrounded by enchanting woods and surreal mountains, the baby was named “Love.” As her name, Love is a love child who is healing the generational trauma and enjoying her life to the fullest. 

Take the recent footage of her that has been going viral on social media. The footage shows Love exploring a grassy pasture for the first time in her life. “The cutest baby,” people are saying about it. “Love is one of the strongest, healthiest, and most precious babies we have ever had. Love stood up within mere hours of being born and nursed with ease. She is welcoming and has no fear. She is full of life and spends her days kicking up her heels, racing on her new legs, and shadowing her mom and older sister,” the rescue described on their website.

Ever since Love arrived in their lives, both her mom Audrey, and her sister Truth have been healing their previous experience in the slaughterhouse. Just a few months younger than Truth, Love has developed an “unbreakable bond” with her sister, as the sanctuary explained in a video. Together, the two sisters graze the grass, drink water from forest pools, indulge in cuddles and playfighting, and watch the sunset. They even celebrated the 2024’s #NationalSistersDay. They are now a cute happy family of three.

"Love taught her sister how to be brave," the rescue explained in the video’s text overlay. "And together they taught their mom Audrey that people can be kind.” They added in the caption, “They had VERY different beginnings in life but now get to play, run, nap, and cuddle together every day along with their mom Audrey, who is always by their side.” 

The above-mentioned footage shows Love prancing and galloping around in a vast pasture carpeted with green tussocky grass. The white-and-chocolate-brown calf hopped in joy, stomping her feet and bobbing her cute little head. She wandered around the pasture lawn, circled around the trees, and in the meantime, cuddled with her sister and mom. “She will never know the fear they knew,” the rescue wrote in the text overlay, “She will experience the world the way cows should, free from harm.”

People who watched the video were drenched in equal parts relief and equal parts happiness. “There’s just nothing better than a happy cow,” commented @mrsnazzaro0510. @serena.bianca.de said the video made her cry happy tears. Others congratulated the sanctuary for accomplishing this kind of rescue mission. “What a great life she will have to look forward to, because of you,” wrote @sweet.peq. Indeed, the Gentle Barn is lauded not just by these people, but by zillions of people worldwide, for their generous efforts in saving animals. The facility provides sundry treatments and therapies to help animals overcome the trauma they suffered in dairy and slaughterhouses. And it seems the rescued animals end up returning the healing to humans. 

Ellie Laks, the sanctuary’s founder told CBS News that she has dedicated her life to saving animals because they once saved her from depression. “When you feel the connection with these cows, it does something,” said Laks. After they rescue the animals, they help them heal with music and sound therapies, acupuncture, and massage therapies, along with regular veterinary care. In return, the animals help humans heal from their own traumas. With “Cow hug therapy” for example. "I think that when we put our faces against the cows it mimics being an infant with a caregiver. We feel vulnerable and small. We feel protected and loved, it's magical," said Laks.

You can follow The Gentle Barn (@thegentlebarn) on TikTok for more heartwarming animal videos!