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Local Goat Makes Valiant Dash for Freedom from Ithaca Slaughterhouse

Leading Farm Animal Rescue Organization to Provide Safe Haven for Courageous Young Goat; Local Community Invited to Tour Shelter and Meet the Animals This Summer

Watkins Glen, NY – June 4, 2009 – Sick, frail and possessing a will to live strong enough to impress the slaughterhouse owner whose facility he escaped, a young goat with a seeming “sixth sense” for direction was found by a Tompkins County SPCA animal control officer running along a busy road just miles from Farm Sanctuary, the headquarters of the largest rescue and refuge network for farm animals in North America. The brave, 7-month-old Taggen/Alpine cross goat, named “Doughty” (meaning valiant) by Farm Sanctuary staff, is currently receiving medical treatments at Cornell University Hospital for Animals, and will likely be transported to the sanctuary in the coming days.

Doughty, described by Kate Walker, the SPCA ACO handling his case, as “a handsome, shy guy,” escaped the pen areas of Cudlin’s Meat Market in Newfield, N.Y. and was found wandering along congested Elmira Road, where he was captured by an animal control officer. Walker, who worked for three years at Farm Sanctuary’s Watkins Glen shelter, identified the owner, who willingly surrendered the animal to the SPCA after being moved by his struggle to survive. The goat was immediately taken to Cornell University Hospital for Animals for a complete medical evaluation.

“This little goat’s valiant getaway challenges the notion that farm animals are meant for slaughter and disputes the misguided belief that animals exist for human purposes,” said Susie Coston, Farm Sanctuary’s National Shelter Director. “We rescue animals from abusive conditions all over the country, but it’s an especially good feeling when we can rescue one from our own backyard. We are thrilled to welcome Doughty to Farm Sanctuary, where he will be provided with the medical care, nutritious food and affection he so desperately needs.”

Once Doughty arrives at Farm Sanctuary, he will likely need to be quarantined for a few weeks before being introduced to the other 34 goats residing at Farm Sanctuary's New York Shelter. All have come from various rescue and abuse cases across the U.S., including one goat, Simon, who was rescued off the streets of Brooklyn, found near several live markets. Other slaughterhouse escapees residing at Farm Sanctuary's New York Shelter include Queenie and Maxine, two cows who escaped slaughterhouses in Queens, NY, and Annie Dodge, a cow who escaped an auction house in Vermont.

Farm Sanctuary’s New York Shelter is open for tours from May through October, and local area residents are encouraged to bring their families and join the thousands of other visitors who will visit the picturesque 175-acre sanctuary this year. Guided tours provide visitors the unique opportunity to learn the stories of the hundreds of cows, goats, sheep, chickens and other farm animals that call the sanctuary home and spend some quality time interacting with them. Summer tour information is available here: http://www.farmsanctuary.org/farm/newyork/ny_tours.html.

Farm Sanctuary’s New York Shelter is located next door to Sugar Hill State Forest, just west of Watkins Glen, and is a 45-minute drive west of Ithaca. More information can be found at farmsanctuary.org.

Note: Photos of Doughty are available upon request.                                                                                            
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 http://www.farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.