A powerful new story from writer Joanna Zelman and The Dodo launched today to bring attention to one of the dairy industry’s most hidden victims: baby calves. In “Cow Trip”, Zelman follows the emotional rescue journey of Mickey and Moose, two calves saved from dairy farms and transported hundreds of miles to safety at Rosie’s Farm Sanctuary.
Born into the dairy industry, Mickey never had the chance to stay with his mother. Like all mammals, cows only produce milk after giving birth, but in dairy farming, calves are typically separated from their mothers shortly after birth so the milk can be sold for human consumption. Male calves, considered unprofitable by the industry because they cannot produce milk, are almost always either discarded shortly after birth or fattened up for a few weeks, so they can be slaughtered for veal.
Stories like Mickey’s are rare because most calves do not make it out alive. Millions of male calves are killed every year as byproducts of the dairy industry, while millions more mother cows endure repeated cycles of impregnation, separation, and slaughter once their productivity declines. Animal sanctuaries like Rosie’s Farm Sanctuary exist to give survivors a second chance to live their whole lives peacefully, and to show the public that farmed animals are emotional, social beings with distinct personalities and deep bonds.
Today, Mickey and Moose are thriving at the sanctuary, where visitors can meet them, hear their rescue stories, and get to know firsthand what the dairy industry tries to keep hidden. Their journey is a reminder that behind every carton of milk, every piece of cheese, and every bit of dairy in whatever product we’re consuming, there is a mother and baby who never wanted to be separated in the first place.
Don’t miss the full version of “Cow Trip” here!
