A Tribute to Norman and Jake
Norman and Jennifer
Norman died last month; to those of us who knew him, it feels like the ending of an era. It is hard to imagine the sanctuary without him. I still look for him when I am there. He was a refugee from the dairy industry, a male Holstein whose life ended at 12 years old, 12 years longer than the dairy industry would have allowed him to live. He died of old age; old age for a male Holstein, that is. The natural lifespan for most cows is much longer.
He was a gentle giant with a big heart. He and his companion, Elly May, had lived at several sanctuaries before their arrival at Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary, where they lived out the rest of their lives. They were inseparable, right up until her death, three and a half years ago. A fellow volunteer (Jennifer, pictured with Norman above) described that time:
When she died suddenly, we found Norman standing over the body. We had a burial, and he stayed at the site for days. He then removed himself from the herd and went into mourning, staying behind the carriage house, not eating, for two weeks.
Eventually he rejoined the herd, but arthritis slowly crept up on him and would have killed him slowly if renal failure hadn’t gotten to him first. Arthritis is devastating to the Holsteins, seemingly a by-product of the genetic manipulation to create cows ever larger. When people would visit the sanctuary and see Norman or Jake, they would inevitably exclaim “I have never seen a cow so big!” Of course they hadn’t – who sees adult male dairy cows outside of a sanctuary? Usually they are killed at birth, or at a month old if they are “raised” for veal. The same is true of the females, by the way; only a small percentage of female calves are kept alive to replace their mothers in the cycle of pregnancy and betrayal.
Jake
Jake, who died on December 25 when his arthritis made it impossible for him to stand up anymore, was rescued from a 4-H project. He was raised by a young girl who was willing to betray his trust and sell him to the steakhouses bidding on his death. A neighbor of the young girl had fallen in love with Jake, though, and she outbid the steakhouses to save him, and that is how he came to Poplar Spring. As a baby he would follow Terry and Dave around the sanctuary like a big puppy dog.
Norman and Jake both stood at about 6’3″ or 6’4 at the shoulder. Though their massive size intimidated some, they were the most gentle of all the cows. This made them a favorite of many, and they are greatly missed.
I broke the news of their death to some friends this weekend, friends who had strong attachments to Jake and Norman. It was a difficult experience to share this kind of news, knowing how much it would hurt them. This tribute is inspired by knowing how deeply they touched many lives.
It is knowing the various individuals at the sanctuary that makes it feel so personal when people eat animal products. It is Jake and Norman who are being killed for that glass of milk or stick of butter or cheese. It is as far from abstract as it is possible to get, once you have a chance to know them, to have faces and stories and personalities to go along with the realities of what it means to be owned, to be property, to be considered a “what” instead of a “who” by this world they are stuck living in. Our choices matter. Our choices are, quite literally, life and death decisions; it’s just that it is not our life and death at stake unless you’re taking the long view.
I love the time I spend at the sanctuary, and I love the chance to interact with the wonderful and unique individuals who live there, but there is no question in my mind – my greatest wish is that there was no need for sanctuaries to exist at all.
Norman and Ainsley
Stephanie Ernst
Marji
Kelly G.
Deb
Mary Martin
A beautiful tribute to a beautiful being.
Lovely. I cried while reading this.
Awwww, I didn’t know that Norman died. I was just at Poplar on Saturday, but the cows were not within sight. I would have looked for Norman otherwise; he was my favorite cow as well. :’(
“it’s just that it is not our life and death at stake unless you’re taking the long view. ” How true this is. I did not know Norman but I am sure that he had a big heart full of love.
@Marina & Melissa – thanks!
@Michael – he was a favorite of so many. I’m glad you got a chance to know him.
@Kathi – he really did. I wish everyone had a chance to know Norman and Jake!
I especially love the part about the neighbor outbidding for him.
Thanks for sharing this deeply moving story straight from your heart. The photos are beautiful, too. My wish is the same as yours.
Ditto to Mary’s comment (and to everyone else’s gratitude for the story too).
I think I met Jake at Thanksgiving w/ the Turkeys. He was immense and beautiful! So gentle. I gave him ear scratches and told him how super he was. I’m glad he and Norman had such a good lives at PSAS. I wish we lived closer so we could visit every weekend.
I have really fond memories of Alex’s niece petting Norman’s head while he laid in the pasture – she and his head were about the same size. Nothing impressed me as much as how gentle and aware he was of her tiny body. I really enjoyed visiting both boys when we lived in DC.
Thanks Deb.
A nice tribute to a clearly engaging, charismatic bovine.
Great tribute. Shared it on Facebook.
A very inspiring post. Sad but beautiful. Thank you for this story.
I too wish that sanctuaries did not need to exist.
However, as we all realize sanctuaries are as necessary for the farmed animals as a person outbidding the steakhouse or becoming vegan is.
Cheers!
@Mary – she had to bid high too! Not sure if you know what the 4-H auctions are like, but the idea is to get the kids on board with the betrayal for money, so the steakhouses bid high on these poor animals…way more than they’d otherwise pay for them. Outbidding the steakhouses at a 4-H auction was a real commitment.
@MJ – thanks so much.
@Stephanie – thanks!
@Shannon – I’m so glad you got to meet Jake! He and Norman looked a lot alike, and were the only male Holsteins there, so you definitely met one or the other. Norman’s star on his forehead came all the way down in a point, while Jake’s was squared off. That’s the easiest way to tell them apart, though some of their other markings were easy to identify once you were used to them too. I am so lucky to live close enough to go every weekend. The sanctuary is what will keep me in this area, if anything does. It is just that special to me.
@Jennie – that’s so sweet! I love hearing these stories of others who have met them.
@Marji – thanks!
@Dan – thanks, I appreciate it. It would be great if their stories continued to help people to see the realities of the dairy industry and have some compassion for the individuals so impacted by that reality. Sharing it far and wide makes that more possible.
@Phillip – yes, it is true; not only do we have great need of sanctuaries, we also have great need of the people doing the rescuing, and the many many generous donors who make it possible for sanctuaries to keep their doors open so that they can continue to rescue and provide safe and loving homes for these animals. And of course the more people who go vegan, the better. That’s always the end goal!
Mmmm…it’s these kinds of tributes that really bring home to me the importance of my veganism…thr truths behind the myths. Thank you!
It really does put a face on my veganism as well… Such precious faces at that. Thanks for telling Jake and Norman’s story.
Munching grass together in a happier world.