FRANK'S STORY:

Frank was born on 19 June this year (2023) into a herd of Welsh Black cattle grazing free range in fields adjacent to the beautiful Pembrokeshire coast on a farm just outside St Davids. His troubles began shortly after his birth, as he was the second twin and his mum kept rejecting him whenever he was trying to feed. Frank persevered but his mum kept physically pushing him away in spite of his desperate hungry cries. After more than 10 hours of unsuccessful attempts to get his mum to accept him, Frank was given a stomach tube feed by the extremely overworked farmer (who is employed by the owner, and regularly visits to check and work on the cattle) and put inside one of the semi derelict empty barns for the night. Another forced stomach tube feed followed the day after causing Frank a great deal of distress. Even though one watery colostrum feed every 24 hours is deemed by the industry to be sufficient nutrition for a newly born calf, Frank was losing weight and begun to fade away rapidly.

Another person and I (similarly to myself helping on the farm’s campsite here this summer) tried our best to save Frank from having to die alone in that draughty old barn. Frank was having panic attacks when we attempted to get him to feed from the bottle and put anything in or near his mouth. We stayed with him for most of the second night of his life, trying to convince him to take in some feed from the bottle and fearing it was his last night on this earth. Somebody I knew suggested taking an unorthodox step of giving him some full fat organic milk (bought from the local supermarket) and putting a little bit of honey on his lips. That helped but Frank still didn’t trust us to give him what he needed. He finally relented in the early hours of the second night of his life, first he started to swallow little sips of milk and then he visibly relaxed by stretching out his footies and spreading out his little toes (I always thought that cows have hooves, rigid and hard, that morning I realised their feet are as dextrous as our own, in their own unique way). From that moment onwards there was no stopping him. Frank has grown into an intelligent and polite little boy. He is very good natured, placid and of cheerful disposition. He is warm and woolly, likes people, especially children, and last but not least, he is cute as a button.

Now the harsh reality of the commercial farming industry is casting its dark shadow over Frank and his future again. In two weeks time he is to be taken away to another farm and put into an intensive indoor farming system with other calves of his age sourced from a diary farm, to be fattened up and slaughtered as quickly and cheaply as possible (to feed him milk replacer in the field housing his own herd has been decided to be too costly even with free volunteer labour). To take a creature who knows love, open air and relative freedom of a grass field, and imprison him inside the industrial profit driven machine would be cruel beyond words.

Please help save Frank from this betrayal of trust he so bravely allowed himself to have in us, his care givers, and in human beings in general. He needs a safe home with access to an outdoor area and company of other animals, both human and non human. Frank is in good health, has been castrated and comes from a TB free herd. He is very tame and sociable, and would be a great asset during open days inviting the general public to meet the animals.