Olive was one of multiple cows who escaped from a New York dairy farm and ran into the woods. While the others were, sadly, rounded up, a pregnant Olive clung to her freedom and evaded capture for months.

Local residents kept an eye on her and alerted Farm Sanctuary that she had likely given birth. Our rescue team found Olive’s calf in need of help, so we immediately brought him to Cornell for emergency veterinary care. Sadly, veterinarians had to make the heartbreaking but compassionate choice to euthanize him due to untreatable musculoskeletal and joint conditions that were causing him to suffer. 

But we returned to the woods, determined to save Olive, who herself was so determined to be free. We knew that this mother cow had likely lost other calves to the horrors of dairy production.

Like Bonnie, Olive was understandably fearful at first, and it took weeks of patience as she returned to our pen to drink and eat. Eventually, Olive came close enough for us to secure her for rescue, and she began her new life at our New York sanctuary—with Bonnie and friends!

One of the joys of sanctuary is seeing farm animals who once had every reason to fear humans come to realize that they are in safe hands and valued for who they are, not what they can produce. 

At Farm Sanctuary, Olive has let her guard down and begun to revel in her freedom and the bonds she’s formed here. In her early days here, Olive grew close to, who else, cow whisperer Sarah, who patiently earned Olive’s trust with gentle pets and favorite snacks. Now, sweet Olive has many human friends and bovine buddies who bring her comfort and companionship.