It is no secret that the meat industry is a hotbed of animal cruelty and abuse. Sometimes, animal rescuers can rescue animals from these conditions, but every once in a while, the animals take matters into their own hands.
That was the case when one brave bull and his five brothers attempted to escape from a slaughterhouse. Unfortunately, their escape did not prove as fruitful as the poor animals had hoped. Not long after they escaped, authorities took them back to the slaughterhouse.
Fortunately, Ellie Laks, the founder of The Gentle Barn, was watching as the cows attempted to escape. “It was eating me up,” said Ellie. “I couldn’t sleep. I wanted there desperately to be a good outcome.”
And Ellie was not the only caring soul who watched the cows’ desperate attempt to save their lives. “There was a small group of the community that was raising freedom money to convince the slaughterhouse owner to release them to a sanctuary,” said Ellie.
The owner agreed to give the cows four days before making his decision. Ellie hopped on a red-eye flight and arrived just in time to meet the six brave cows.
When she first met the cows, they were terrified and had no idea who they could trust. Ellie knew the cows had a story they needed to share, so she built a new Gentle Barn in Missouri for the bull named Chico and his bovine brothers.
As the months passed, Chico and his brothers began to heal from their traumatic experiences and open up to Ellie and her team. “Watching their journey has been such an incredible honor,” said Ellie.
