When Jenna’s rescuer first met her, she was three days old and weighed sixty pounds.
This meant she was fragile enough to worry about. In those first seventy-two hours of her life, she had lost the one thing she needed most – her mother. This didn’t happen because anything had gone wrong; it was because of what she was born into. Jenna was a calf born into the dairy industry.
Calves are separated from their mothers at or shortly after birth so the milk they produce can be sold to humans instead. Calves just like Jenna are routinely taken from their families.
The Rescue
The farmer’s daughter looked at a three-day-old calf who had just been separated from her mother and decided she would not let Jenna suffer any of the rest of the industry’s standards.
Without that decision, Jenna wouldn’t be where she lives now, Life With Pigs Sanctuary, where animals who would’ve otherwise been betrayed find their forever homes.
Who She Is
Jenna loves music. She regularly enjoys a serenade from her rescuer and will be as close to the show as possible.
She is deeply affectionate, has plenty of friends, and makes it known she’s missing her rescuers if they momentarily leave the sanctuary grounds.
She is also a regular at the sanctuary’s drive-thru. The sanctuary runs a drive-thru experience, and Jenna attends when there are treats on the menu. Jenna will poke her head through the window and make it very clear that she is ready for snacks.
What Happened To Her Mother
Her rescuer does not look away from this part.
Jenna’s mother has likely been sent to slaughter. The dairy industry sends cows to slaughter when their milk production declines, typically after four or five years, notably a fraction of a cow’s natural lifespan.
She did not get a farmer’s daughter, or the mercy of anyone. She got the standard. That standard is a death sentence for mothers used for dairy, and a life of commodification.
Jenna got lucky. Her mother almost certainly did not. Both of them deserved better.
What Jenna Wants
She wants to live her life to the fullest, enjoying its charms of music, community, and care. She wants to be loved and acknowledged.
These are not complicated desires, and they’re not exclusive to humans or cows, but to animals generally.
To support the sanctuary where Jenna lives, visit their website.
Watch our video on Jenna here:
