Rescued Cow’s Gentle Demeanor Is Such a Joy to Watch
There's something so lovely about watching a gentle animal interact with other animals and humans. It's heartwarming, and always is so touching to see. Chico is a rescued cow that lives at @The Gentle Barn animal sanctuary. They shared a video at the end of December 2023 introducing him to us all, and they also shared the backstory of how he got there.
His story began where it was supposed to end. He was at a slaughterhouse in St. Louis, and decided he wasn't ready to have things end for him. He made a break for it, and also helped his brothers escape too! Now they live at The Gentle Barn in Missouri where he loves helping out with the gardening, grooming his brothers, and giving the best hugs anyone could ask for!
The part of @The Gentle Barn's video that really got me was at the end when he's interacting with the baby. It's like he knew that he had to be gentle with her! And if there's something I now want to do, it to hug a cow...especially if I can find one that gives hugs like Chico does! So many commenters said the same thing and asked if they allow people to come in and hug him, and they absolutely do. If you have one near you, I definitely recommend a visit!
Related: Cows' Sweet Reactions to Seeing Their Favorite Dog Are About As Good As It Gets
How To Help Rescued Animals
In their caption, the Barn shares a bit more about Chico's story, "Chico broke through fences to escape a slaughterhouse w/ his friends. While they were brought back the community rallied around them & we were able to bring them to sanctuary. We started The Gentle Barn’s Missouri sanctuary for them. They’re known as the #StLouisSix". Sounds like a good plot for a movie, doesn't it?!
Unfortunately, not all of us can afford to have a barn to provide sanctuary to rescued animals, and not everybody even wants to do that kind of work. And it is work! But rescues and sanctuaries are always looking for help and support. They'd never turn down money, but there are other ways you can help them, too. You can donate your time to work around or with the animals. That may include transporting animals to and from vet appointments and such. You can foster animals (okay, maybe not a cow but dogs or cats) until they can find their forever homes.
And there are even ways to help that don't cost a penny. You can support fundraising efforts by sharing announcements wherever you see them and by word of mouth. You can follow local (they don't have to be local - I follow The Gentle Barn but don't have one near me) sanctuaries on social media and like, share, and reply to their posts. The more eyes that find them gives them a greater chance of getting more support. It's an easy way to help these animals live their best lives!
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