Pasado's saves male goats from commercial dairy

They were slated for death, but thanks to a collaboration between Pasado's Safe Haven animal sanctuary and individuals dedicated to animal advocacy, 24 newborn and infant male goats will now have a chance at life.-á

The baby goats were rescued from a commercial goat milk dairy farm, where they were about to be bludgeoned to death with a hammer. Killing male goats is commonplace at dairy farms across the country, said Pasado's Communications Manager Tami McMinn, and is a practice not just limited to goats. Since male goats and male calves are unable to produce milk, they add no monetary value to dairy operations, and are disposed of in inhumane ways, she said.

Male calves are sometimes sold to the veal industry, said McMinn, while male goats are often killed at birth.

Goats are mammals, which means that in order to produce milk GÇô technically breast milk GÇô they have to become pregnant and have a baby. Just like humans, pregnancy and childbirth is the only way to facilitate the production of breast milk. -á -á

"They impregnate them, and then when the baby's born, if it's a female they take them away and they put them into production,GÇ¥ McMinn said. "If they're males, they're of absolutely no use, so they kill them immediately.GÇ¥

Goats born on commercial dairy facilities are not protected by animal cruelty laws the way that dogs and cats are, she said.-á -á

"If the farmer happens to be there when they're birthed, he literally will walk up, pick up a hammer and hit them over the head,GÇ¥ McMinn said. "They bludgeon them to death, every day, all day long.GÇ¥

If it's lucky, she said, a baby goat will get to spend a short amount of time with its mother, giving it opportunity to nurse and consume colostrum, which has antibodies necessary to help the goat fight disease. Not that this makes a difference if the goat is male, she said, because it will be killed regardless. Pasado's clinicians suspect that the rescued babies were able to nurse and receive colostrum, which makes the tiny goats' prognosis much better than it would have been otherwise.-á

This particular rescue is just the tiny tip of an overwhelmingly large iceberg, McMinn said, as the farm the goats were rescued from is considered a small operation, with about 1,000 dairy goats. Female goats have a gestation period of five months, meaning they are able to give birth twice a year.

Unfortunately, said McMinn, if roughly 50 percent of the babies born are males, the farmer is potentially killing up to 1,000 male goats per year. On farms where the goats aren't bashed in the head, they will simply throw them into a trash pile where they starve or freeze, McMinn said.

The farm where the goats were rescued is known to employ the bludgeoning method, and had a "dead pileGÇ¥ of more than 100 babies, she said.

"We do unbelievably cruel things to animals in our food production system, because they are not legally protected like dogs and cats,GÇ¥ McMinn said. "It is absolutely horrific what they do.GÇ¥

The logistics of the rescue, which took place on Tuesday, Dec. 1, were in the works for several weeks. Pasado's took custody of 16 newborn goats between five and seven days old and eight infants that were likely between four and six weeks old.

The newborn goats are being housed in Ruth's Healing Barn, Pasado's on-site veterinary clinic, where they will be quarantined for 30 to 35 days as they are nursed back to health. They are currently undergoing treatment for parasites, lice, eye infections and upper respiratory infections.

Despite their uncertain beginnings, the small goats are extremely friendly and social. Pasado's is currently holding the newborns in several isolation booths in the healing barn, while they receive veterinary care and gain their strength. They are happily curious when approached by humans, enjoy nibbling on fingers and hair, and are fond of being held and snuggled.

"They're just unbelievable,GÇ¥ McMinn said. "They're super friendly because they got pulled so early and they're just learning all about people at this point.GÇ¥

Members of Pasado's staff named the goats, and have enjoyed interacting with the sweet-natured, chipper little critters.

"Goats are generally pretty friendly,GÇ¥ McMinn said. "These guys are going to be hand-raised, so they're probably going to be super social.GÇ¥

Once they have been restored to health, Pasado's staff will work to get them acclimated to the outdoors, a process that must be done gradually or they could freeze to death. The eight older goats have already transitioned to outdoor living, and are being kept in an outdoor pen with several heating lamps for comfort.

Once the goats are medically cleared, they will be available for adoption. The ideal adopter would have a large, fenced yard with an outdoor shelter. A potential adopter should research plants toxic to goats, such as buttercups, St. John's Wort and clover, to make sure they don't have any on their property. -á -á

Pasado's is not disclosing the location of the farm because it's part of an ongoing rescue effort. The location of the farm also is not particularly relevant, McMinn said, since killing baby animals that can't produce milk is status quo in the dairy industry. The only way to stop it, she added, is to stop supporting the industry that condones the killings.

"This is what happens every day on the dairy farm. It's not specific to this farm; it's not an isolated incident,GÇ¥ McMinn said. "This is happening in Monroe, this is happening in Snohomish, this is happening on almost every dairy farm in the country.GÇ¥

McMinn said Pasado's staff is excited to watch the goats grow and get adopted into good homes. Rescues like this one are important for spreading awareness, she said, as these 24 baby goats will become ambassadors for all the other goats they were unable to save.

"Babies really are able to tell the story of the industry,GÇ¥ McMinn said. "Because who would want to hurt one of these cuties?GÇ¥-á

For more information about Pasado's Safe Haven, visit www.pasadosafehaven.org.