Lamb Born in Transport
Truck on Way to Bronx Slaughterhouse Finds
Refuge at Farm Sanctuary as Mother Goes to Slaughter
Watkins Glen, NY
– September 22, 2009 – A lamb born on a transport truck on
the way to a Bronx slaughterhouse was rescued
yesterday by Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection
organization, and brought to their shelter in Watkins Glen, NY. The minutes old
lamb was discovered by a Good Samaritan who was shopping at an Italian market
just a few doors down from the slaughterhouse when the truck arrived. Wanting to
get a closer look at the sheep as they were unloaded, the woman walked over to
the truck and was shocked to discover a newborn lamb among the herd, as well as
a less fortunate lamb who had been trampled to death during transport.
When she brought the lamb to the
truck driver’s attention, he grabbed him and handed him to her, explaining that
one of the sheep must have given birth on the truck. When asked by the concerned
citizen if it would be possible to reunite the struggling newborn with his
mother, the driver told her there was no way to identify the lamb’s mother, as
there were more than one hundred sheep on the truck. Refusing to leave the
abandoned lamb alone to starve or be trampled to death by the flock, the woman
convinced the slaughterhouse manager to relinquish him to her. As the lamb’s
mother went to slaughter, she took the newborn home to her Yonkers residence,
where he spent the first five days of his life growing very attached to the
woman’s elderly mother— who he reportedly followed around the house like a
puppy.
“We are so thankful we were able to
rescue this sweet lamb, who was born under circumstances no animal should ever
have to endure,” said Susie Coston, Farm Sanctuary’s national shelter director.
“Having witnessed the deep and loving bond between mother sheep and their lambs
at our sanctuary, we know first-hand how traumatic this experience must have
been for both mother and baby. Unfortunately, such tragedies are an all too
common result of a profit-driven industry that rips babies away from their
mothers and packs sensitive, intelligent animals onto trucks so densely they
cannot move, causing many to die before they even reach the slaughterhouse. This
lamb may have been born under horrific circumstances, but he will live at our shelter as an ambassador,
educating thousands of visitors from all over the country about the plight of
animals whose first and only taste of life is the inside of a sweltering
transport truck or a dark, filthy factory farm.”
The lamb is the latest to join the
more than 200 farm animals rescued from New York City over the last several years and
brought to Farm Sanctuary, most likely after escaping from one of the city’s
numerous live markets. Just before Labor Day, a severely ill baby goat named
Evan was rescued near the Hutchinson River Parkway in the Bronx and brought to Farm Sanctuary, where he joined
Isadora and Duncan, two baby goats rescued just a little over a month before in
the same area. Last year, a 25-pound pygmy goat named Goodwin, one of Farm
Sanctuary’s beloved residents, was discovered by New York City police near 141st
Street and St. Ann’s Avenue in the Bronx— just a few blocks from where another
Farm Sanctuary resident, Lucky Lady— a seven-month-old lamb who escaped
slaughter and made international headlines— was found in June 2007. Other famous
New York City escapees who now live at Farm Sanctuary include Maxine, a cow
found running through the streets of Queens in 2007; Joey, a goat found
wandering through Brooklyn in 2007; and Queenie, a cow who escaped a
slaughterhouse in Queens in 2000.
About Farm
Sanctuary
Farm Sanctuary is the nation's
leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm
Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal"
industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms,
public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge
efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of
rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by
educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional
information can be found at farmsanctuary.org or
by calling 607-583-2225.
