Joaquin Phoenix Rescues Mother Cow and Her Calf From Slaughterhouse. The Animals’ Reaction Says It All
Joaquin Phoenix is not only making a name for himself in Hollywood but also in the environmental sphere. The notable actor earned himself some goodwill by rescuing a cow and her newborn calf out of a slaughterhouse in Los Angeles. Phoenix and his team brought the animals to a safe new home at the Farm Sanctuary where they could live happy lives, unlike the fate of the cows at the slaughterhouse, as documented in a YouTube video by Farm Sanctuary (@farmsanctuary1).
On February 9, 2020, the 50-year-old star won an Academy Award for best actor for his role in Joker. In his acceptance speech, Phoenix made a moving remark about the plight of mother cows and their babies in slaughterhouses and how humans exploited the natural world for their own benefits and needs. “We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and when she gives birth, we steal her baby even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable,” he intently expressed. The very next day, the Gladiator star was blessed with an opportunity to save two lives from a slaughterhouse. One of the cows had given birth to a calf there and Phoenix wished to protect them from becoming products of human consumption.
A brief dialogue between the actor and the President of the slaughterhouse, Anthony Di Maria revealed the gory process the cows undergo to meet the demands for meat. “Any time a calf is born on my property, I refuse to take the mother away from its baby because I won’t do it,” Di Maria explained. This was an exception to the processes that take place in other slaughterhouses. In a subtle exchange, Phoenix tried to emphasize that the cows were “murdered” for human consumption whereas Di Maria insisted it was being “harvested.” The actor was accompanied by Gene Baur from Farm Sanctuary, to take him through the entire process.
Moments later, the duo visited the mother cow, Liberty, and her calf, Indigo, and the actor patiently led them to the transporting van. A melancholic background score played as the calf frolicked around her mother and Phoenix tried to guide them through the path. The mother and calf were separately transported as the actor himself lifted the calf up and headed to the rescue sanctuary. “As part of our protocol here at Farm Sanctuary, we do a thing where you know, first they come in, we make sure that they don’t have anything contagious,” Baur shared. Following the protocol completion, the rescue cows are free to run up the hill, relax in the shadows, and “do what cows like to do.”
The calf was carefully unloaded from the truck followed by the mother cow and then moved into the sanctuary farm. The Walk The Line actor watched the mother-daughter rejoice in their new free life from afar. The eight-minute documentary highlighted the difference in “energy” between the animals at the slaughterhouse and at the sanctuary. After a brief exploration of their new home, the calf and the mother cow were captured playfully hopping around the farm tucked in between beautiful hills. The scenery ensured the mother cow and her calf would live a happy and fulfilling life at the sanctuary. “Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow,” stated a quote by Phoenix’s late brother and former actor River Phoenix in a photo of the calf.
You can follow @farmsanctuary1 on YouTube for more videos about animal rescues.