Current Press Releases

Slaughterhouse Escapees Granted Sanctuary

Fairmount, IN- August 17, 2004 - Three cattle who escaped from an Indiana slaughterhouse and eluded capture for more than two weeks, have now been given a reprieve. On August 16th, Max Amos, the slaughterhouse owner, turned the animals over to Farm Sanctuary, the nation's leading farm animal rescue and protection
organization.

The escapade began on August 3rd, 2004, when four animals, three steers and one heifer, bolted from the Circle A Meat plant in Fairmount, Indiana. Two were re-captured and brought back to the slaughterhouse, but they escaped again on August 14th, jumping over a five foot fence. As the animals continued to allude capture, the slaughterhouse owner grew increasingly frustrated, eventually turning to lethal methods. One steer was shot and
killed on August 14th before the remaining three were officially signed over to Farm Sanctuary on Monday, August 16th.

As word of the animals' quest for freedom spread, hundreds of concerned citizens from across the United States contacted officials in Fairmount to urge that the animals' lives to be spared. "These animals were literally running for their lives, and people across America were touched by them and began rooting for their survival," said Gene Baur (formerly Bauston), president of Farm Sanctuary. "When Circle A Meat signed these animals over to Farm Sanctuary, they legally changed from being people's food becoming people's friends."

Upon receiving legal custody of the animals, Harold Brown, a former beef farmer who now works at Farm Sanctuary, traveled to Indiana to begin the process of calming the cattle and convincing them that it is no longer necessary to continue running.

When the animals are caught, they will be transported to a sanctuary and allowed to live out their natural lives. Farm Sanctuary operates shelters for rescued farm animals in upstate New York and northern California, and it places animals in homes across the U.S. through its Farm Animal Adoption Network. More information about the organization is available at www.farmsanctuary.org.

About Farm Sanctuary
Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at www.farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.