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Cows

Social, contemplative and gentle

Cows are deeply social and interact with one another in complex ways – fostering collaborative relationships, they form grooming partnerships, learn from one another and make decisions that benefit other members of the group.

When not contending with fearful captivity, cows spend most of their time wandering, foraging, socialising and chewing things over, as did their ancient ancestors. Over time, humans’ breeding and treatment of cows as commercial goods has led to abuse of these gentle animals on an enormous industrial scale.

After spending time with the rescue cows at Where Pigs Fly Farm Sanctuary, visitors are often struck by the calm temperament, placid nature and the sheer size of these gentle giants. A very profound experience for many.

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Featured Rescue Stories

Oink
Stories from the field
Oink
Oink is a blind cow who needed love and a forever home.
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Rupert
Stories from the field
Rupert
Rupert is a cow taken from his mother as a baby, in desperate need of care.
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Cow Facts

Cows have unique personalities. No two cows are alike — some are cheeky, some love a cuddle, some are curious, and some playful.

They are smart. Researchers are finding that cattle are far more intelligent than people give them credit for – and may actually possess heightened brain function and decision-making abilities.

They have best friends. Cows seek out and nurture relationships with other individuals in the herd — often forming cooperative grooming partnerships. When separated from their best buddy, they become stressed.
They have leaders. What do cows look for in a leader? Much the same things as us. Studies have suggested that intelligence, inquisitiveness, confidence, experience and good social skills all help to determine who will become the leader within a herd.

“Cows have a secret mental life in which they bear grudges, nurture friendships and become excited over intellectual challenges”

- Jonathan Leake
Science Editor-The Sunday Times

Sanctuary life

We rotate the grazing paddocks of our cow team regularly to ensure there is always a plentiful supply of lush grass and acres of pasture to explore. Our cattle herd has access to paddock shelters to enjoy during the winter. We carry out regular health checks to spot and treat any problems that may arise as quickly as possible There are cow brushes placed in all the paddocks so the cows can scratch away to their heart’s content.

“These are highly developed mammals that have been solving problems for a long, long time. If anything, it reflects poorly on us that we're surprised that these animals are smart. Of course these animals are smart.”

- Dr. Daniel Weary
Animal Welfare Program, University of British Columbia

Suffering for their meat, milk and skin

These typically playful, nurturing animals endure immense suffering in animal agriculture. Contrary to the “happy cow” caricatures depicted in dairy industry advertising, these nurturing animals endure systemic suffering. 

Most of us assume that animals raised for food would be protected from cruelty. So it’s shocking to discover that governments and industries with vested interests have deliberately excluded these animals from the laws that protect the dogs and cats who share our homes. This is to legalise treatment that would otherwise be criminal cruelty — like surgical procedures without pain relief.

Cows used for their milk

Constant impregnation
Cows, like all mammals, must be impregnated to produce milk. Dairy cows spend their lives in constant cycles of pregnancy, withstanding repeated artificial inseminations, giving birth and having their calves removed, and enduring nearly continuous mechanised milking with only a few short months of rest between pregnancies.
Calf separation and slaughter
Within hours of birth, dairy calves are taken from their mothers. Such separation cause calves—who would in a natural environment be deriving nutrients from their mothers’ milk—to become sick, eat less, lose weight, and cry so much that their throats become raw and inflamed. Their mothers are distraught, their babies taken away within hours of birth. If a calf is male, he’ll never produce milk and is seen as economically worthless. Even if she is female, there might not be room for her in the herd. Sadly, hundreds of thousands of unwanted dairy calves are condemned to be killed as ‘waste products’ by the dairy industry every year. They are generally slaughtered at three to five days old.
Millions imprisoned and slaughtered
In 2021 alone, there were over 300 million cows used to produce milk worldwide and more than 1.8 million within Australia. Once dairy cows reach a certain age or their milk production decreases, they are no longer profitable for dairy farmers. At this point, they are usually sent to slaughter for meat production. The meat from dairy cows is typically used for ground beef, canned meat products, and other processed foods. Over 66 million dairy cows were slaughtered globally in 2021. That is, 66 million dairy cows killed in just one single year.

Cows used for their meat

Dehorning

This is one of the most traumatic experiences cows are forced to endure. Yet, there are no laws requiring them to receive pain relief at the early age when it is usually done. So, both male and female calves usually undergo this surgical procedure without anything to dull the pain. When a cow is ‘dehorned’, her horns and the sensitive tissue near her skull are cut, sawn or scraped out. Anything from knives, wires, saws and shears — or even a ‘scooping’ implement — are commonly used to remove horns.

Castration
A male calf’s genitals are some of his most sensitive organs. When older bulls are castrated, it is considered a major surgical procedure, which only a vet can perform. Yet most young calves suffer this invasive procedure at the hands of inexperienced farm hands, and without any sedative or pain relief. Young calves bellow in pain as their scrotums are cut open, their testes pulled out and cut off. Alternatively, calves may have a rubber ring constricted tightly around their scrotum to stop blood flow, eventually leading to their testicles falling away. For many calves, the surgery is only the beginning. Castrated calves can suffer from inflammation, infection and chronic pain. Sometimes the complications from this surgery can even be fatal.
Spaying

On large Australian cattle stations some cows (around half a million a year) will be subjected to spaying — an invasive procedure which requires the surgical removal of the ovaries, either via a cut through the flank or via the vagina/womb. This is done without any requirement for pain relief and carries a high risk of infection and even death.

Sent to slaughter

When they reach a sufficient “market weight” (usually before 3 years of age), cows in the beef industry are trucked to the slaughterhouse and will normally be killed within 24 hours. Australian laws require animals to be ‘stunned’ unconscious prior to having their throats cut. For cattle, this is normally done using a device called a ‘captive bolt gun’ which delivers a forceful strike to the forehead to induce unconsciousness. Baby dairy calves are mostly subjected to an ‘electrical stunning’ device that sends an electric current across the brain, rendering them unconscious. This is the fate of 8 million cattle every year in Australia.

Every slaughterhouse is under pressure to kill as many animals as possible in the shortest time. Inevitably, this rush to push fearful and often resistant animals along the slaughter line quickly can lead to ‘mistakes’ being made.

The cattle slaughter industry’s permitted re-stunning rate of up to 5% means 5 in every 100 animals (equating to thousands every year) may not be rendered unconscious at the first attempted bolt to the head but a facility would still pass its audit. Awaiting re-stunning would be incredibly painful and distressing for thousands of farmed animals every year.

Live export
Excessive heat, discomfort, injury, fatigue, rough seas, disease, infection, faecal build-up … and if they survive: brutal death. Australia’s live export trade, involving the transportation of cattle primarily to SE Asia and the Middle East, has faced controversy due to animal welfare, disease transmission, and environmental concerns. Two notable case of cruelty include the “Indonesian abattoirs” footage, exposing inhumane slaughtering practices and the drowning of a live export ship carrying 5,867 dairy cows capsized in the East China sea. Tragically, all of the animals and 41 crew members are presumed to have drowned. Despite ongoing cruelty and suffering, approximately 790,000 cattle were exported in 2020. The Australian government has implemented welfare measures and restrictions, but critics maintain that live export is both cruel and unnecessary. The global live export trade is built on an acceptance of suffering – sending animals on risky journeys halfway around the world just to be killed for their meat when they arrive in destination countries. Live export is not only cruel, it is also unnecessary.
Branding
On many farms, calves are forced to endure dehorning, castration, ear notching and branding all at once. One by one, they are pinned down, or squeezed in a ‘crush’ pen; their horns are cut off; (if they are male) their testes are cut out; their ears notched, and a red hot iron is seared into their skin, leaving a permanent mark. The branding iron may alternatively be dipped into a coolant, such as liquid nitrogen before being pressed against the calf’s skin. While freeze branding is initially less painful, both forms of branding can cause ongoing pain. Poorly maintained branding irons and the stress caused to animals during handling and restraint can all lead to further injuries.
Far from “happy dairy cows”
Contrary to the “happy cow” caricatures depicted in dairy industry advertising, these nurturing animals endure systematised suffering. Cows used by the dairy industry are intensively confined, continually impregnated, and bred for high milk production with little concern for their well-being.
Sent to Slaughter

When they reach a sufficient “market weight” (usually before 3 years of age), cows in the beef industry are trucked to the slaughterhouse and will normally be killed within 24 hours. Australian laws require animals to be ‘stunned’ unconscious prior to having their throats cut. For cattle, this is normally done using a device called a ‘captive bolt gun’ which delivers a forceful strike to the forehead to induce unconsciousness. Baby dairy calves are mostly subjected to an ‘electrical stunning’ device that sends an electric current across the brain, rendering them unconscious. This is the fate of 8 million cattle every year in Australia.

Every slaughterhouse is under pressure to kill as many animals as possible in the shortest time. Inevitably, this rush to push fearful and often resistant animals along the slaughter line quickly can lead to ‘mistakes’ being made.

The cattle slaughter industry’s permitted re-stunning rate of up to 5% means 5 in every 100 animals (equating to thousands every year) may not be rendered unconscious at the first attempted bolt to the head but a facility would still pass its audit. Awaiting re-stunning would be incredibly painful and distressing for thousands of farmed animals every year.

Create a kinder world for cows

Make your choices count.

Cows are intelligent, social and emotional animals, but these aren’t the only reasons they deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. The fact that they are living, feeling beings capable of experiencing joy, pain and fear is reason enough.

The most effective way to help these gentle and affectionate animals is by choosing to leave them off your plate. With so many delicious and nutritious alternatives now available, it’s no wonder that more and more people are moving to plant-based lifestyle. Why not give it a try?