A dairy cow, pregnant and about to deliver, probably knew what life would hold for her offspring. If the calf born were female, she would lead a life much like her mother, constantly bred to produce milk. If it were to be a male, he would be sold to a slaughterhouse as meat.
So the pregnant cow escaped from the farm she lived on, and by a stroke of luck wandered into Juliana's Animal Sanctuary, the only farm animal sanctuary in Columbia.
The cow gave birth to a male calf during the few hours she spent at Juliana's. The dairy farmer arrived and wanted to take both mother and calf away.
It was only after incessant pleas from Julianna that he relented and left the calf with her after she paid him $100. If it had not been for his mother's instinct to save his life, the calf would have met the same fate as many of its not-so-lucky brethren, as explained by Farm Sanctuary.
Today, Balaram is almost 6 feet tall at the shoulders, weighs a staggering 1,500 pounds and carries a white heart on his forehead...perhaps as a mark of the love his mother had for him, reports The Dodo.
"Balarama is happy grazing all day like most cows or bulls, only he has the reassurance that he will never be killed and will live a long and natural life," Julianna said on her web page. "Most people are unaware that cattle can live as long as 25 years, but sadly most dairy cows only live for 3 years. Another odd thing about our modern society is that most people have never seen a cow or bull in the flesh. These docile and kind animals that serve humankind unconditionally are often kept away from public view in crowded feedlots. When people get to see and pat these gentle giants they are overwhelmed with joy and typically feel conflicted afterwards about their decision to eat meat. I am sure that if you ever got to meet Balarama you too would fall in love."
