Baby Goat Saved from Slaughter

In June, we heard about this little baby goat who was going to be sent to slaughter. Our team members jumped in our van to get him to safety. The baby had been rejected by his mother at the farm, and was bottle fed by the farmer’s granddaughter. As the time to send him to slaughter approached, a kind supporter of the Sanctuary negotiated for his release and contacted us to see if we could come get him. We got a pen ready and traveled to bring this baby goat home to Woodstock Farm Sanctuary where he would be safe.

Hobbes in his iso stall

The goat—who we named Hobbes—wiggled his way out of the back of the van and ended up sitting on an employee’s lap the entire drive home! He was very patient and sweet, just watching the drive out the window. But when we arrived home and started settling him in, we noticed something was very wrong.

We’d been told that Hobbes was castrated, but that wasn’t quite true. He’d been banded, which is a technique where the farm puts an elastic band around the scrotum so that it dies off. It’s billed as a “bloodless” method of neutering but is seriously painful and can go very wrong. The band on Hobbes had dug into his skin, causing an open infection that we needed to treat right away. We called the vet and they advised surgery. Everything happened so quickly! We’d only just met him and now we had to bring him in for a serious procedure to debride his wounds and treat the infection.

Hobbes in surgery

Fortunately, the surgery went well! Hobbes came right back home to recover and started gaining his energy back. He is still testing positive for giardia and other parasites, which he is being treated for, but we are optimistic that he’ll have a clean bill of health soon! He’s been making a name for himself in the med barn by being one of the loudest baby goats we’ve ever cared for, and devising new and creative ways to escape his iso pen every day. He’s really put the maintenance staff through the wringer when it comes to reinforcing his stall! Meeting other goats can’t come soon enough for this little guy.

Many people dismiss goat slaughter and consumption as an “overseas thing,” but goat farming for both dairy and meat is a large industry in this country as it is in others. Babies like Hobbes are routinely put into this system that ultimately ends with their slaughter, whether it’s early in life or after they’re no longer considered “productive” or “profitable” to the farm a few years into their life. With your help, we were able to go and rescue Hobbes from a similar fate.

This is just the beginning of his life in Sanctuary! With access to appropriate medical care and an enriching environment, many of our rescued goats get to live into their teens and forge lifelong friendships with other rescued individuals. Your donations to Hobbes’ care make a huge difference—he’s here because people like you care.