Mintaka and Betelgeuse are two Brahman cows that were saved from Twist of Fate along with their friend Rigel*, who is pictured at the top of the original petition. In the photo above, Betelgeuse is on the left, Rigel is in the center, and Mintaka is on the right. Brahman cows originated in India but were bred in the United States starting in the late 1800s and are bred, raised and murdered solely for their flesh.

Betelgeuse and Rigel were originally taken in by Ashley DiFelice together some time in 2020 or 2021, with Mintaka arriving later having been rescued from an auction that was attended by Ashley and a few other rescues. Ashley's only post about any of them on the former Twist of Fate Patreon was about Mintaka on November 21, 2021.  Betelgeuse and Rigel were originally named Sprinkles and Sundae by Ashley's son Deacon, though I don't know which was which, and in keeping with the ice cream theme Mintaka was originally named Mint Chocolate Chip. 

Of Mint Chocolate Chip/Mintaka, Caitlin of Rancho Relaxo says that she remembers the day of the auction and how excited that she was that this boy was being saved... 

However, in just a few short months from that day at the auction the neglect that Ashley had been inflicting on her animals was discovered. You can see from the petition photo of Rigel that he had been severely starved, and Betelgeuse and Mintaka did not fare any better. In fact all three had body scores of ONE, meaning that they could have been days away from death. They were living together in an area that was too small and that had no shelter from the rain or the hot spring and summer sun. They had no food or clean water to drink. 

I mentioned above that Ashley's one post about Mint Chocolate Chip was in November of 2021 - according to the timeline, the neglect had already started at this point and yet Ashley was STILL taking in animals. The most recent new "rescue" that she took in that she posted was a family of goats in February 2022, and I'm sure that she posted more on her Instagram. She was fundraising for all of these new intakes yet not providing the food, care, meds, and surgeries that she had raised the money for. 

Caitlin and Len, the founders of animal sanctuary Rancho Relaxo were the first on the scene that day in July, and Rigel was the first animal that they saw. It was obvious immediately that something was very wrong, but they had no idea of the horrifying discoveries that lay just ahead. 

Along with two horses* from this cruelty case, Sprinkles, Sundae, and Mint Chocolate Chip were all taken in by Caitlin (@boochaces) and Len (@hispees) to live at Rancho Relaxo and were given their new names, Betelgeuse, Rigel, and Mintaka. The boys were named after three of the seven brightest stars of the Orion constellation, which is named after a hunter in Greek mythology and is hourglass-shaped. It is most visible from January to April in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere, and in case you're curious the other brightest stars' names are Bellatrix, Saiph, Alnitak, and Alhilam. 

All three were taken to the vet for anything and everything that they needed (vaccines, checkups, etc). Eventually Mintaka got the rest of his ear tag removed and Rigel had his nose ring removed. Of the three, Mintaka was able to put his weight back on quicker than the others, but it was still a long and slow road. Betelgeuse had a hard time recovering both mentally and physically and eventually started to recover with the help of supplements. Rigel gained his weight back the slowest but eventually he also pulled through. The emotional trauma and stress took a toll on all 3 as well as being wary of humans and of being touched for quite a while after they were rescued. Once these boys realized that they were safe, loved, and had regular access to food and everything else that they needed they were able to relax and also start healing their digestive systems so that they could once again put on the weight that they had lost after being starved by Ashley, and could once again start to trust humans after the one human that was supposed to take care of them failed them so deliberately. 

The photo at the top of this update was taken in October of 2022 by Caitlin, just a few months after their rescue. In her caption she acknowledges that the photo is blurry, but that she loves this special moment. These three friends were without shelter for who knows how long while under Ashley's "care" and had no food or water. At Rancho Relaxo above, it is pouring rain but they're staying warm and dry in their shelter. They have everything they could want to eat, fresh water, and lots of hay for bedding. Even in those two months or so since arriving to Rancho from the horrors at Twist of Fate, they had made so many improvements in their health, and their quality of life did a complete turnaround. While the photo may be blurry, the image is just beautiful. 

If you would like to make a donation towards the care of Mintaka, Betelguese, or any of the other animals at Rancho Relaxo, you can do so via their website, PayPal (boochaces@aol.com), or Venmo (@boochaces). They also have an Amazon Wishlist, a GoFundMe, and adorable merch like tees, sweatshirts, totes and more on Bonfire! You can also make a monthly donation in any amount by joining their Patreon, and you can also join the Rancho Relaxo Takeover Patreon (formerly the Twist of Fate Patreon but now solely under the control of Rancho Relaxo) - this money goes towards the care of the 5+ animals that they took in from the cruelty case as well as additional expenses that they were forced to take on as a result, like the mortgage of the property. Even $1-5 per month goes a long way!

We're so happy that Betelgeuse and Mintaka (and Rigel!) survived all of Ashley's neglect with the help of each other and Rancho Relaxo looking out for them when Ashley refused. Please give @boochaces, @hispees, and @ranchorelaxoteam a follow to see the 3 Brahman buds happy and finally living the life that they deserve!

Thank you for being here. 

 

You can read Rigel's story here - he was the first animal from TOF to have their story shared! The other two animals that Rancho took in are horses Tommy and Moose, who will have his story shared soon! 

 

Ashley's next court date is THIS 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. If you have already shared it, please share it again. Thank you!