I wanted to start sharing some of the stories of the animals of Twist of Fate, both the ones that survived the abuse and neglect at the hands of Ashley DiFelice and the ones who did not.
Who better to start us off then Rigel?? Rigel has been the face of the petition and this handsome boy and his story have been shared numerous times all over the world and on numerous platforms. He is the first photo of the petition, and his gaunt appearance in that image is alarming. He and his friends Mintaka (formerly Mint Chocolate Chip) and Betelgeuse were found in a small pen emaciated and without water or shelter in the blistering summer heat. Rigel, Mintaka and Betelgeuse are Brahman cows - Brahmans originated in India but were bred in the USA starting in the late 1800s and are bred, raised and murdered solely for their flesh. Rigel and his friends were saved from slaughter, only to have to be rescued again when Ashley purposely failed them.
Rigel was the first animal that Caitlin Cimini of Rancho Relaxo (pictured above) saw on July 24, 2022 and it was obvious immediately that something was very wrong. Sadly it was only the beginning of the horrific discoveries at the former Twist of Fate "sanctuary".
Rigel and his two Brahman buddies went to live with Caitlin at Rancho. He had his nose ring removed, which was originally used by his breeders at the farm to control him (Ashley said that it couldn't be removed - most likely she didn't want to be bothered to have it done or spend the money to do so). Rigel gradually started putting on weight, and he started to heal emotionally, physically, and psychologically. You can definitely see the differences in his body when you compare the photo above to the image in the petition - the photos were taken exactly one year apart. Brahmans have a bit of a thin appearance naturally, but you can no longer see his ribs (there are ZERO animal species on the planet where it is okay or healthy to see their ribs!), and his hip bones are no longer prominent. He is now happy and thriving!
To see more of Rigel, Mintaka and Betelgeuse plus their other cow, horse, goat, sheep, chicken, turkey, pig, cat, dog and bird friends, follow along on Instagram @boochaces and @hispees. If you'd like to make a one-time donation towards his care or to anyone else's at the sanctuary, please click here. And if you would like to make a monthly donation, you can join Patreon. Donation tiers start at only $1.00, but you can donate any amount that you want. Nothing is too small, as it all adds up and goes to the long-term care of the animals, plus their feed, shelter upkeep and repairs, vet visits, emergencies, etc.
We're all so happy that Rigel was saved from Ashley and Twist of Fate and that he's now safe FOREVER in his new home - please leave him some love in the comments below!
A few of the animals' stories have been shared in previous updates - read about pigs Shirley & Pepper, goat Billy, goat Johnny and his necropsy report here and here, and sheep Linus.
Thank you for being here, and stay tuned to see whose story is next!
Also, please continue to share the petition - Ashley DiFelice's next court date is September 14th, and since the court is aware of the petition we'd like to get as many signatures on it as possible before then!