Compassion for Animals

DivineYu wish for the world is to treat all beings with love, kindness and respect. We invite you to help two male calves Nemoo and Calvin at the animal sanctuary SAFE in Potton, Québec. It’s nice to meditate on compassion, but it’s far more important to actually practice real compassion by doing something for those without a voice. One small act of service for our community can change the world.

You can donate to SAFE via e-transfer to info@safe-refuge.org or Paypal.me/SAFE508 with a note: divineyu!

SAFE Message:

“Catherine Gagnieux, the founder of SAFE-Sanctuaire d’animaux de ferme de l’Estrie, had a dream when she was a little girl of opening an animal sanctuary, where animals destined to die in the hands of humans, would be rescued and brought to a loving forever home to live out the rest of their lives in safety. Many of us as animal lovers have this exact same fantasy but in her case, the stars aligned. Catherine’s personal journey and life experiences, including a heart breaking tragedy, led her to move closer to and find comfort in making her dream come true.

In November 2016, Catherine walked away from her life in the city and with everything she had, bought herself a little house on a 65 acre lot. The property included pastures and forested areas, a meandering river, two barns and most of all, a serene, quiet and peaceful setting. After extensive fencing and barn renovations, in the spring of 2017, she opened her gates and welcomed into the little paradise that she had created, her first rescued residents- three distressed, magnificent pigs who had escaped from a slaughterhouse situation. As the months have passed, her sanctuary has continued to grow and she has since been able to take in more animals, each one destined to be killed.

Calvin 

In July, 2017, a fellow animal rescuer living in the Lanaudiere area of Quebec contacted us about a situation which he had become emotionally involved with. He was witness to a typical scene which goes on regularly in the dairy industry and it was haunting him. A mother Holstein cow had collapsed after giving birth to her calf. She had what is known as “Milk Fever”, or Hypocalcemia, a metabolic disease caused by depleted calcium levels after prolonged, excessive, long term breeding. Although sometimes treatable, in this case, the veterinarian was unable to help her. Emotionally distraught, our friend looked into her eyes before she was killed and promised her that he would protect her calf forever. Having obtained our commitment to welcome him into our sanctuary, Calvin, as he was later named, was virtually taken off the transport truck which would have taken him to his own death. Two weeks later, after the barn and fencing had been altered to meet his needs, Calvin arrived in the back of an adapted pick-up truck, to live free for the rest of his life. Caring for a very young bull calf who had never had his mother’s milk or love, was challenging, to say the least. Although Catherine followed a controlled and specific bottle feeding diet and regime, without his mother’s antibodies, his immune system was compromised and he became ill. As is the mission of SAFE, he was given everything possible to help him and following the veterinarian care that he received , he eventually recovered and made it through the first three critical months. However, as the weeks passed, it soon became apparent, that we had a new problem on our hands. Calvin, was a playful, happy calf but he was lonely. He needed a friend and stablemate.

Nemoo

Nemoo, a Jersey bull calf, was also a victim of the dairy industry. The farmer running the dairy milk production, was aware of our sanctuary and as soon as Nemoo was born, he reached out to us. Being a male, he was of no use to this industry and would be killed. If we wanted him, we needed to go pick him up immediately. It was a now or never option. Off we went, loaded the little newborn calf into the back of Catherine’s car, and brought him to safety. This time though, with experience under her belt, Catherine convinced the farmer to supply her with the mother’s colostrum, the first few days of the mother’s milk, which contains her antibodies and essential nutrients. Twice a day, she would drive back to his farm and pick up Nemoo’s meals. Nemoo thrived. He and Calvin bonded instantly and gave each other the comfort and love that they each craved. However, as was the case with Calvin, it was heartbreaking to see these little orphans who although well cared for, had never experienced the warmth and love from their mothers. But that is sadly, the reality of the dairy and meat industry. Nemoo and Calvin are the lucky ones but they are only the beginning. As we continue our mission to encourage and help people try alternate dietary solutions, we hope to continue to save the lives of as many farm animals as we can.

They are our teachers and owe them so much.”

Through a perusal of archaeological sources we find that bulls were held in the highest regard throughout the ancient world. Cattle are considered sacred in world religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, and others. Religions in ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, ancient Rome and ancient Israel held similar beliefs. The bull, whether lunar as in Mesopotamia or solar as in India, is the subject of various other cultural incarnations. The ancient Greeks often personified Zeus as a bull. In Egyptian mythology, Apis (alternatively spelled Hapi-ankh) is a sacred bull, the son of Hathor. Saving animals from slaughter for meat, is believed in Buddhism to be a way to acquire merit for better rebirth.

“Right now the average American eats more than 33 pounds of cheese a year. Packed with calories, loaded with saturated fat and teeming in highly addictive casomorphins, it’s a habit that’s intimately linked to obesity and a litany of chronic illnesses, including heart disease and type-2 diabetes. It’s a habit that wrecks significant havoc on the environment, polluting our skies and poisoning our water table. And it’s a habit that perpetuates unspeakable cruelty on the sentient animals it relies upon to serve its unabating appetite.” Neal Barnard, MD, the author of the Cheese Trap book

Replacement for cow’s milk are plant-based milks from nuts, seeds and whole grains like almond milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, hemp milk, oat milk, rice milk and others. For more information, please contact info@divineyu.com or call (514) 999-4018. Thank you!

Cambridge Declaration of Consciousness: http://fcmconference.org/img/CambridgeDeclarationOnConsciousness.pdf

Animal Emotions:
https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/50/10/861/233998