Habibi

When Crystal (Habibi's mother) arrived at MFS we thought we were rescuing an old skinny cow with inflamed organs that caused her stomach to stick out. However, we soon discovered that Crystal was not only very ill but also pregnant. Her prognosis was grim, but we hoped that with the help of our vet we could turn her condition around at least long enough to deliver her calf.

Unfortunately, Crystal’s health began to fail three weeks before her assumed due date. Our vet came to anesthetize her and open her belly to deliver the calf. Seeing little hope in his eyes, Cheri reached in and helped him pull out a small limp calf. Seeing her lip twitch, Jim and Cheri took the newborn calf outside and “cuppaged” her rib cage to loosen fluids and stimulate her to breath. Twenty minutes later they heard the weak but precious sounds of life. At the same time, the vet euthanized Crystal and closed the incision. Our hearts ached from this loss, but we now had a beautiful little girl to take care of. We named her Habibi.

If she had been born on a farm, Habibi would have gotten at most one or two feedings from her mom and might have even been removed immediately from her. She would have been raised to be a dairy cow or sent to slaughter for veal. Today Habibi is the “queen bee” at MFS and bosses around other cows, llamas, goats and people! She enjoys the freedom of living in peace and tranquility as all beings deserve.