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Teenage Girl Saves Three-Month-Old Calf
FarmedAnimal.Net and ANC Staff
13-year-old Alex "Ally" Bell recently saved the life of a three-month-old calf named Max by sending him to a sanctuary instead of a slaughterhouse.
Bell had been caring for Max since he was two weeks old, as part of her FFA (formerly Future Farmers of America) project. When she realized Max would probably be purchased for slaughter, however, she sought sanctuary for him instead.
Bell's father bought Max, and The Humane Farming Association (HFA) offered to provide him with a safe and lifelong home at its Suwanna Ranch, a 5,000-acre California refuge for formerly abused and neglected farmed animals.
Bell, who has become a vegetarian, said she thinks all FFA students who raise farmed animals should tour slaughterplants as part of their education.
The teenager's FFA advisor said, "I don't try to hide the facts from my students....We're trying to give them the best possible learning experience."
The advisor acknowledged some students "can be a little emotional toward the end," but went on to claim that "it's not a traumatic experience."
HFA's Bradley Miller commended Bell for her humanity and her independence of thought.
"We applaud and support Alex's courage to break from the herd and re-think her involvement with the FFA program," Miller said.
Max was reportedly neutered and dehorned at the University of California before being delivered to his new home.
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