A big part of what we do at ‘Til The Cows Come Home is finding foster homes for unwanted farmed animals. Here’s why it’s so important for us to do this.
Every year, 500 million animals in the animal agriculture industry are killed – and we’re not just talking about the ones that are used for meat or food products. As a result of factory farming, countless animals are considered ‘waste’ and are killed because they will not produce monetary gain for farmers. The cost of feeding and rearing animals can exceed the profit a farmer can make on them. It is then that they are deemed unviable, at any time a farmer can legally deem animals waste.
For unwanted calves, the standard Australian practice is to dispose of them with a hammer to the head as a few days old. For unwanted hens, they are gassed by the masses at 18 months. We set up foster programs for these unwanted animals to give them a second chance at a happy and long life.
Some of the farmed animals we foster include calves, chickens, horses, pigs, dogs, and goats that would otherwise be abandoned or killed. We give farmers an option to surrender these animals to us, after which they are transported by one of our local drivers to the nearest foster carer. In foster care, these animals are provided shelter, food, vet care and lots of love. Foster carers are needed to provide rescued animals with a safe, loving, and nurturing environment while they wait to be adopted.
It is all too common for animal rescue charities to euthanise many of the animals that come into their care due to costs and overcrowding. At ‘Til The Cows Come Home, we are proud to have a zero euthanasia rate. How do we do this? Our foster care system is a huge reason why. Foster stations allow animals as much time as needed to be matched to suitable adopters. Our foster carers are able to keep these animals healthy and safe until they are adopted. This is why it’s crucial that we have a strong network of foster carers.
Unlike dogs or cats, the euthanisation of farmed animals like cows, goats, sheep and chickens is much more normalised in society. As a result, there are barely any regulations that protect our farmed animals from being abandoned or killed. Our foster care system allows ‘Til The Cows Come Home to rescue more animals and save them from a terrible fate.
So, to our incredible foster carers – thank you! Our animal rescue process would not be possible without you. If you’re not a foster carer but are interested in foster caring, get in touch with our team today.
Fostering is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have and a great way to donate your time to a deserving cause. It offers the best of both worlds, the love, affection, and gratitude of an animal without a lifetime of emotional and financial commitments. They will provide you with love, joy, and the gratification of having saved a life. If you’d like to have a further understanding of foster caring from our fosterers’ point of view, check out our blog, Insights From Our Foster Carers.
