Panda

Sponsored by
Jennifer

In July of 2022, we were contacted about a one-month-old “mini panda” calf (a breed of mini cattle) who had a badly broken jaw. The little one was expected to recover with proper care, but the severity of his broken jaw meant that his appearance would be permanently altered, making it impossible for him to be sold as a pet, which was the original plan. The farmers didn’t want Panda to be sent to slaughter simply because he looked different, so they contacted us to see if we could give him a forever home at our sanctuary instead.

We jumped at the opportunity to help Panda, knowing that he needed medical attention right away. While preparing for our arrival, the farmers tried to get him to take a bottle, but naturally, he only wanted to nurse from his mom. After a few unsuccessful attempts to get him on a bottle, the farmers made the incredibly compassionate decision to surrender his momma too. We couldn’t believe it! Rescuing a mother cow and her baby together is so rare that it’s nearly unheard of.

We took Panda straight to the hospital for evaluation, and his momma, Jasmine, was allowed to go with him so they wouldn’t have to be apart. Panda’s doctor confirmed that his jaw was severely broken on both sides but was confident that surgically placing wires between his teeth would help pull his jaw back into alignment. After several weeks with his wires in place, Panda’s jaw was fully healed, and you’d never know he had suffered such a painful injury. Panda and Jasmine quickly settled into sanctuary life, and we’re so thankful that this precious little family will never have to know the unbearable heartache of separation.