Born in June 2020, Claire is a byproduct of the dairy industry, taken from her mother at just days old. Sick and underweight, Claire came to us from our friends at Sunset Farms Sanctuary in July 2020 after receiving early veterinary care at OSU Veterinary Hospital.
While most female dairy calves are raised to replace their mothers, male babies and females born with a twin male (often born sterile) are useless to the industry and are often slaughtered or sold just a few days after birth. Whether allowed to live or sold for meat, baby calves are removed from their mothers within hours of birth, often not receiving the colostrum and maternal affection needed to survive and thrive.
Claire required multiple bottle feedings multiple times per day along with medications and monitoring during her first weeks in Sanctuary. Once healthy, she quickly began to gain weight, build trust and come out of her shell. Claire has grown into a fuller version of herself, both physically and emotionally. And….she is still growing. She is the biggest of the dairy breeds and because of her genetics she is surpassing the size of a typical female. We have no idea what kind of giant sweet cowgirl she will ultimately become.
She likes participating in the more human-centric services we offer, engaging with therapy clients, students in our Animals & Empathy program and members of our ROOTS Institute.
Brita's story is closely linked with Claire's, coming to One Heart Wild from Sunset Farms Sanctuary in Oregon. Brita had worse health originally and spent more time receiving care at OSU Veterinary Hospital before making the trip up to One Heart Wild. Brita was born to a Jersey cow mother with a twin brother and was determined to be sterile, thereby considered unnecessary by the dairy industry.
Brita required multiple bottle feedings per day and began gaining weight and thriving within a few weeks of arriving at Sanctuary. Much like Claire, Brita is curious, friendly, pushy and opinionated. She has grown in size and personality and has made numerous friends at One Heart Wild. She has a full set of horns and it has been interesting watching how aware she is of them and what she can use them for. She and Claire are incredible bonded and are usually cuddled together in a cowgirl pile. They are inseparable. Brita has a high play drive. The staff set up obstacles and toys for them daily and Brita plays with everyone. When she gets out of her paddock she puts her nose on everything in the barnyard that is of interest to her. She too is bigger than a normal Jersey female but is dwarfed by her bestie Claire.
While most female dairy calves are raised to replace their mothers, male babies and females born with a twin male (often born sterile) are useless to the industry and are often slaughtered or sold just a few days after birth. Whether allowed to live or sold for meat, baby calves are removed from their mothers within hours of birth, often not receiving the colostrum and maternal affection needed to survive and thrive.
Claire required multiple bottle feedings multiple times per day along with medications and monitoring during her first weeks in Sanctuary. Once healthy, she quickly began to gain weight, build trust and come out of her shell. Claire has grown into a fuller version of herself, both physically and emotionally. And….she is still growing. She is the biggest of the dairy breeds and because of her genetics she is surpassing the size of a typical female. We have no idea what kind of giant sweet cowgirl she will ultimately become.
She likes participating in the more human-centric services we offer, engaging with therapy clients, students in our Animals & Empathy program and members of our ROOTS Institute.
Brita's story is closely linked with Claire's, coming to One Heart Wild from Sunset Farms Sanctuary in Oregon. Brita had worse health originally and spent more time receiving care at OSU Veterinary Hospital before making the trip up to One Heart Wild. Brita was born to a Jersey cow mother with a twin brother and was determined to be sterile, thereby considered unnecessary by the dairy industry.
Brita required multiple bottle feedings per day and began gaining weight and thriving within a few weeks of arriving at Sanctuary. Much like Claire, Brita is curious, friendly, pushy and opinionated. She has grown in size and personality and has made numerous friends at One Heart Wild. She has a full set of horns and it has been interesting watching how aware she is of them and what she can use them for. She and Claire are incredible bonded and are usually cuddled together in a cowgirl pile. They are inseparable. Brita has a high play drive. The staff set up obstacles and toys for them daily and Brita plays with everyone. When she gets out of her paddock she puts her nose on everything in the barnyard that is of interest to her. She too is bigger than a normal Jersey female but is dwarfed by her bestie Claire.