Rumi (formerly named Power) is a zebu/angus mix mini bull that was saved from Ashley DiFelice and the former Twist of Fate "sanctuary". I don't know anything about his original rescue, just that he had a tag in his ear and was formerly known only as "8316". Most likely he was bound for slaughter, like millions of other cows every day around the world.
When Power was found on the property, he was all alone in a tiny pen with no shelter and only a pile of old hay, and his eyes were literally bulging out of his head. After he was rescued he was taken to the vet and had his eyes checked, but they couldn't find anything wrong - he was just terrified. I can't imagine the horrors that those eyes saw, and every day for months.
Power was taken in by The Riley Farm Rescue (@therileyfarmrescue) in Connecticut, USA and renamed Rumi. Formerly a bull, he was neutered and became a steer. He had his belittling ear tag removed that referred to this beautiful sentient being as nothing more than a number - a meal. And after only a few days in his new home, Rumi relaxed and his eyes no longer bulged out. Being a mini steer he's actually quite short, so a field was cleared of about 1/4 acre of brush for him (about .61 hectares) so that he could safely get around his new home. He made friends with his neighbors next to him at 'Alpaca Manor', who weren't sure what to make of this peculiar-looking new guy at first.
For about four months Rumi was Riley Farm's first and only cow resident, but in January of 2023 they were alerted to a bull living in terrible conditions and filth on a nearby farm when Caitlin from Rancho Relaxo was at the property to pick up a mama goat. She knew that Riley Farm was looking for a friend for Rumi, so she called Marla, who worked quickly to convince the farmer to surrender the bull and to raise the money for his vetting and transport. Once Riley Farm was at the farm to pick up the bull they spotted another poor baby in need who was also living in terrible conditions - a two year old steer who was the bull's only companion. Marla couldn't imagine separating the two friends and so negotiated to take them both. Both were neglected, afraid of people and being touched, and were matted and covered in mud and their own feces. The farmer was originally going to sell both of them for their flesh.
They were pulled out of their previous hellhole and brought to the hospital for checkups, and then when they were cleared they were brought to their new home at Riley Farm. The brown Jersey-mix steer was named Marc and the zebu bull was named Sherman. Sherman looks very similar to Rumi, but Sherman has shorter horns and a much more pronounced hump which is a characteristic of zebu breeds. After a little while they were introduced to Rumi - after a few head butts they all became friends and still hang out as a happy trio herd to this day and even got their area expanded so they have even more room to play and run around.
It's so wonderful that Rumi survived what Ashley DiFelice put him through from her neglect and that he was taken in by a place that showers him with love and everything that she denied him. A quote by Rumi, 13th century Persian poet & philosopher:
"Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place."
If you would like to support Rumi or the other rescued residents of The Riley Farm (they also took in tortoise Boots and goat Clovis from the Twist of Fate case, along with a goat family who will have their story shared soon!), please give them a follow @therileyfarmrescue. You can also make a donation towards his care via their website, Venmo (@therileyfarmrescue), CashApp ($therileyfarmrescue), or PayPal (therileyfarmrescue@gmail.com). To make a monthly donation towards his care or anyone else's at the sanctuary, you can join their Patreon for any amount or sponsor one of the animals by joining their Hoof Patrol. They also have an Amazon Wishlist and adorable merch for sale here and on Bonfire. They even have a Rumi-themed shirt available in several styles and colors! AND if you're near the Canterbury, CT area or want to plan a trip, you can book a private tour of Riley Farm here!! They're currently holding a fundraiser for warm winter bedding for the animals, and you can find that linked in their Instagram profile. They're about $800 from goal, so let's help them meet it!
The beautiful photo of Rumi above was taken of him in his new home by the very talented Britt Bosse (@britte.bosse). I definitely recommend giving her a follow - she takes AMAZING photos of animals in the wild and at several sanctuaries too. She also has a print shop and a portion of all proceeds from sales are donated to animal sanctuaries. Be sure to check out her 'This is Sanctuary' Collection! You can also sign up for her newsletter.
Thank you for being here!
As always, you can view additional photos of the animals mentioned in the stories on my Instagram, @ispellithaley. (A few words about this: I have recently been harassed by several people in my own life about the petition and my overall veganism in general. I have been vegan for over 6 years and I'm quite used to this, as this type of behavior is more about people projecting their own feelings of guilt, anger, etc on to me than about what I am actually doing, saying, or writing. However, as a result of this I have recently made my Instagram account private. I am still posting about the animals when I share their stories along with many other topics, so feel to free to follow me on IG anyway!)
Ashley's next court date is Thursday, November 2nd. According to the last court date on October 12th, additional charges are supposed to be filed against her at this time.
Please continue to share the petition across all channels. (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat, WhatsApp, NextDoor, YouTube, WeChat, Telegram, Pinterest, Reddit, Tumblr, etc, and please send it directly to people via email and/or text). If you have already shared it, please share it again.
We are trying to get as many signatures and comments on the petition as possible before then, especially since the prosecution and the judge are aware of it. Thank you!!