Mama cow hides baby in different spots every day after losing all her others
Animal sanctuaries do so much to protect animals and ensure that they have a better quality of life than they did previously. But for some animals, they’ve lived such a long hard life they have a hard time accepting that they are finally in a safe place.
Clarabelle is a mother cow who has had a tough life.
Although she lives at Edgar’s Mission now, an animal sanctuary based in Australia, she still has to learn that she’s safe. Before being saved by rescuers, she lived on a dairy farm. She was rescued while waiting to be slaughtered due to her low milk production.
View this post on Instagram
She was saved just in the nick of time, but what rescuers did not realize is that they also saved someone else. Clarabelle was pregnant when they brought her to Edgar’s Mission,
Despite a traumatic experience on the farm, Clarabelle was now free to have a healthy and happy pregnancy.
View this post on Instagram
As her due date approached, Clarabelle started to act differently. She seemed like she was avoiding mealtime and other opportunities to be around people.
It seemed like she was hiding something, so caretakers looked far and wide to see what was going on.
There was nothing in the field, but they knew something was up. Eventually, a team found something hidden in tall grasses.
It was a little baby calf! Clarabelle had given birth in secret, and it wasn’t even that much of a newborn. One thing that caretakers at the sanctuary noticed is that the calf was dry. That indicates that its mother had been secretly taking care of it for a few days at that point.
This mama’s fierce protectiveness is linked to past traumas of hers.
Back at the farm, Clarabelle had given birth a few times before. But every time she had given birth previously, the baby had been taken away from her.
This must have been traumatic for Clarabelle because cows are extremely maternal and have excellent memories. She must have remembered those previous losses and resolved to not let that happen again.
Clarabelle needed some reassurance that her baby wouldn’t be stolen from her again.
According to PETA, cows can experience extreme grief over losing their babies:
“These gentle giants mourn the deaths of and even separation from those they love, sometimes shedding tears over their loss. The mother/calf bond is particularly strong, and there are countless reports of mother cows who continue to call and search frantically for their babies after the calves have been taken away”
Her grief informed her desire to hide her baby from humans, but now in her new home, she doesn’t have to worry again.
Now Clarabelle and her baby are free to live happily.
The calf was named Valentine because she was born on Valentine’s Day. It’s also a symbol of the love that Clarabelle and her baby share. They will now live their lives with the protection and happiness that the sanctuary can offer them, and Valentine will always have her mother’s love.
Watch the video below to learn more about this protective mama!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
Source: The Dodo, PETA, Edgar’s Mission, Vimeo – Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary