The FARM BuzzJust like humans, animals have a strong will to survive. They will fight desperately to escape factory farms and avoid being slaughtered by humans. They want only to live a long, peaceful life. The lucky ones are often relocated to a sanctuary where they can live a life free from fear and suffering. Here are a few animal escapees’ success stories.
Frank from Farm Sanctuary
On April Fool’s Day in 2016, reports of a bull wandering the streets of Queens began to circulate. But this was no joke. The black-and-white bull escaped a transport truck bound for the slaughterhouse and eventually made his way to a nearby college campus. Here, the Animal Care Center of New York City picked him up. Farm Sanctuary stepped in, and Frank rode to safety 5 hours away. Frank resided in peace and freedom at Farm Sanctuary until his passing in 2025.
Blizzard from Buddha Dog Rescue & Recovery
In 2020, New Jersey drivers noticed a goat grazing on the side of a busy highway. She escaped a transport truck headed to auction and made her way to nearby woods, where she lived for months. As the weather grew colder, Nicole Asher of Buddha Dog Rescue & Recovery worried she would not survive the incoming storm, which promised at least two feet of snow. She and her friends spent days trying to lure the goat into an enclosure so they could bring her to safety at the animal sanctuary.
After safely capturing the goat, Asher named her Blizzard after the storm she narrowly avoided. Blizzard went to Antler Ridge Wildlife Sanctuary, where she stayed until their closure in 2023. She and her fellow rescues then moved to Woodlands Wildlife Rescue to live out their days in peace and safety.
Victoria from Frie Vinger Sanctuary
Victoria the chicken escaped her dismal enclosure on a freezing winter night. Neighbors discovered the hungry chicken freezing in their garden. Lina Lind Christiansen of Frie Vinger Sanctuary offered Victoria a warm, safe home. She was so exhausted that she slept for several days. Once she rested and became acclimated to her new environment at the animal sanctuary, she proved to be an affectionate and playful chicken.
Unsinkable Molly B from Salida Del Sol Animal Sanctuary
In 2006, Molly, also known as “Unsinkable Molly B”, the cow jumped a 5 ½ foot fence to escape the slaughterhouse. She crossed a busy highway where an SUV nearly hit her, darted in front of an oncoming train, then crossed yet another road where a semi almost hit her. Molly even jumped in a river and swam to the opposite bank, nearly drowning. She led officers and workers on an exhausting six-hour chase before they captured her. The Montana Large Animal Sanctuary and Rescue originally took her in, but she later went to New Dawn MT Sanctuary and eventually to the Salida Del Sol Animal Sanctuary, where she lived out the remainder of her life.
Eli and Marley from Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary
Eli the bull was rescued from a Vermont dairy farm shortly after he was born. Most male calves are deemed “useless” in the dairy industry, so they are stolen from their mothers and slaughtered for veal when they are still babies. Fortunately, Jason Bolalek, who founded Destination Liberation rescue, negotiated Eli’s release and began the long journey to an animal sanctuary, Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary in Florida.
While passing through North Carolina, Jason and Eli met Marley, a two-week-old piglet who either jumped or fell from a transport truck. Compassionate strangers brought Marley to a rescue in North Carolina, where she met Jason and Eli. Marley joined them on their route to safety. Today, the two are best friends who enjoy days filled with freedom, safety, and sunshine.
Rita from Animal Place
Rita the pig was pregnant when she leaped from a transport truck speeding toward the slaughterhouse. She was soon taken to a shelter. While there, she gave birth to 14 piglets. Nine of them survived.
Rita and her babies were then sent to live at Animal Place. Rita lived out the rest of her years at the sanctuary, and her children still live there happily.
Yvonne from Gut Aiderbici
Yvonne, a six-year-old cow from a dairy farm, was mere days from being sent to the slaughterhouse when she made her escape. She soon barreled through an electric fence and found her way to the woods. The clever cow evaded capture for months. The Gut Aiderbici animal sanctuary bought Yvonne’s freedom for €600, then stepped up efforts to capture her and bring her to safety. When she arrived at the animal sanctuary, Yvonne was reunited with her son Friesi and her sister Waltraud, who Gut Aiderbici had also rescued. She lived there until her death at 14.
The Lucky Few Who Got Away
These are just a few of the lucky animals who have made their way to sanctuaries and lived their lives to the fullest. Hundreds more have been saved by compassionate groups who fight day and night on their behalf. Unfortunately, for every individual who makes it to safety, billions more animals are not so lucky.
The Meat Paradox
Despite the human instinct to “root for” an escaped animal to find its way to safety, people continue to consume the escapee’s less fortunate brethren. This is known as the Meat Paradox, defined as the “psychological conflict between people’s dietary preference for meat and their moral response to animal suffering.” It results from cognitive dissonance, a term that describes when someone’s beliefs and actions don’t match. Read more about this in our article Escaping the Meat Paradox.
World Day for Farmed Animals
Speak up for the animals still trapped in this cruel and vicious cycle. Honor those who have perished at the hands of humans on World Day for Farmed Animals on October 2. This day of mourning and remembrance is observed on the birthday of Gandhi, a revered spiritual leader and human rights activist. Get involved in World Day for Farmed Animals this year. Join the Fast Against Slaughter this year or discover more ways to participate in The Farm Buzz article 10 Ways to Get Involved on World Day for Farmed Animals. Learn more about World Day for Farmed Animals and the animals it represents at The Farm Buzz.
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