Farm Sanctuary provides haven

Orland’s Farm Sanctuary took in another “rescued’’ calf and its mother Monday after they were taken from a Santa Cruz County ranch last week.

“Harrison’’ and his mom, “Loretta’’ arrived at the Sanctuary’s 300-acre farm around 2 p.m. following a long trip from the coast.

Santa Cruz County Animal Control officers rescued Harrison from a muddy field near Watsonville after he was found lying in the mud near death.

Harrison was less than a week old and gravely ill from a navel cord infection, veterinarians said. Animal Control Officer Todd Stosuy said he seized the calf and took him to the vet who discovered the baby had sepsis throughout his body.

Stosuy said the veterinarian told him the calf would have been dead in four to five hours had he not been rescued.

The calf’s owner allegedly told Stosuy it was not worth more than $5 to him, so he saw no reason for spending thousands of dollars to save it, Stosuy said.

Stosuy then advised the rancher of the laws in Santa Cruz County, he said, and took both the cow and the calf.

Animal control officers found Farm Sanctuary with the help of the Santa Cruz SPCA and brought them here “because we have no room for them,’’ Stosuy said.

The Hereford-cross cow and calf will live the rest of their lives at the Farm Sanctuary unless a qualified home is found to adopt them, according to Shelter Manager Leanne Cronquist.

Stosuy accompanied “Loretta’’ and “Harrison’’ on the trip to their new home, and he seemed pleased with “beautiful’’ surroundings, he said.

The cow had been a breeding animal for 12 years, he said, with little contact with humans, but she does not mind people handling the calf.

Stosuy said the pairs’ former owner reportedly was downsizing his herd to 13 animals and had taken them out of Santa Cruz County after the seizure.

“A lot of people will go vegetarian after hearing their story,’’ Stosuy added. “It’s a beautiful thing.’’

Just a week or two ago, Farm Sanctuary took in an orphaned dairy calf “Cupid’’ who had fallen off a truck near Turlock apparently on his way to a slaughter auction.

Cupid ran into an orchard and escaped being rounded up until Stanislaus County Animal Control officers found him bawling for something to eat.

Someone associated with the Farm Sanctuary put them in touch with organization and the Santa Cruz SPCA, and Cupid now has a home. (See story in the Feb. 1, 2008 edition of the Orland Press-Register).

As for Loretta and Harrison, they seemed content when they got out of the stock trailer and into a grassy paddock by the Sanctuary’s cattle barn.

The mom quickly found a feeder filled with hay then wandered into the paddock while Cronquist and Stosuy picked the calf up and unloaded him from the trailer.

Harrison soon ran to her and began nursing while television news crews, newspaper reporters and Sanctuary staff and volunteers took pictures of the arrival.

Farm Sanctuary will begin showing off the cow and calf to visitors in May when the farm shelter is opened for Saturday tours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Located in the rolling hills across from Black Butte Lake, the Orland facility is home to about 350 animals. Residents include cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits and poultry like chickens, geese and ducks along with turkeys.

The humane organization is headquartered in Watkins Glen, New York, but has maintained the Orland facility since 1993. It is devoted strictly to farm animals and birds and leaves horse and pony rescues to other groups, Cronquist said.

Farm Sanctuary offers an “Adopt-a-Farm Animal’’ program where sponsors can pay for the feed and care of an animal without taking it home, and it takes in donations to keep its farms running.

The Orland facility is at 19080 Newville Road in Tehama County. For more information, call (530) 865-4617 or the national number (607) 583-2225. Or visit its Web site by clicking here.