There is a lovely article, featuring Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, on the front of the Metro section (page B1) of the Thursday, May 1, New York Times. The article, by Fernanda Santos, is headed, "A Rescued Goat Gets a Chance For a Normal Life On Four Legs."
It opens:
"They are both amputees: She lost part of her right leg to bone cancer at the age of 10, and he lost part of his left leg four months ago because of an injury he most likely suffered at a Brooklyn slaughterhouse.
Her name is Jenny Brown, and she is a 36-year-old television producer turned animal rights advocate. His name is Albie, and he is a goat of unknown age and breed.
They met last August, after Albie was plucked from Prospect Park and taken to the animal sanctuary Ms. Brown has owned here since 2004. Albie was malnourished and sickly at the time, his mouth covered in sores, his leg and hoof badly infected, Ms. Brown recalled. His injuries seemed to indicate that he had been hogtied before he broke free and made his way to the park.
Ms. Brown said that she tried to save Albie's leg, treating it with ointments and homeopathic remedies, but that the wound would not heal. In December, Albie's leg was amputated just above the knee.
He is now awaiting a prosthesis, a very rare indulgence for a farm animal. And the same technician who fitted Ms. Brown with a new artificial leg is also designing Albie's.
You'll find the full article on line, including an adorable picture of Jenny and Albie, at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/nyregion/01goat.html
It gives us a great opportunity for letters to the editor about the way non human animals are generally treated in our society. The New York Times takes letters at letters@nytimes.com
Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Remember that shorter letters are more likely to be published.
You can learn more about the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary at www.woodstockfas.org
Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn
(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)
Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com to read advance reviews of Karen Dawn's new book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals" and watch the fun celebrity studded promo video