Page 32 - Hillside25Years

Bulls Not Producing Calves Usually End up in the Slaughterhouse... We first heard about Benjy when ‘Gay UK’ got in touch, telling us
Unless They Come to Hillside! they had heard about a bull that was going to be sent for slaughter
because a vet had pronounced him ‘gay’ after he failed to
Benjy... impregnate his companion cows. Of course we offered to help, but
there was still the matter of getting Benjy released from the farm
where he was being kept, and transporting him from Ireland to
Norfolk. Gay UK started a crowdfunding webpage, where people
could find out about Benjy’s plight to help save him and pay to have
him safely transported to Hillside. Happily, people did donate and
soon Benjy arrived at his new home here in Norfolk. There was a
lot of press interest, mainly because he had been labelled as ‘gay’,
but we were just pleased that it got people talking about farm
animals. Benjy, who was castrated before he was allowed to graze
freely with a friendly herd of our rescued cows, seems to very much
enjoy the company of females. We’re not sure if he really is gay, but
the fact that someone thought he was certainly saved his life!

Bernie’s story was similar. He had been sold as a prize bull for and Bernie...
18,000 guineas. However, it turned out his sperm count was so low
that he was unlikely to impregnate any cows! So, with an ‘expensive’
bull not able to do his 'job', the farmer claimed from his insurers.
This would usually have meant a one-way ticket to the
slaughterhouse. However, luckily for the now 'not so prized' Bernie,
a Hillside supporter who worked in the insurance office, persuaded
the company to allow him to come to Hillside to live with our
other rescued cows. For both Benjy and Bernie, a seemingly
desperate situation ended well because people stepped in to help.
We are very pleased to let them both live out their natural days in
the safety of the Sanctuary.

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