Newborn Goat Left for Dead at New Holland Sales Stable Seized and Sent to Farm Sanctuary

Late last week, a three-pound newborn goat seized on
Jan. 5 from New Holland Sales Stable in Lancaster County by Farm Sanctuary
Humane Enforcement Officer Keith Mohler arrived at the leading animal
protection organization's New York Shelter for rehabilitative care. One
of two goats born during the stockyard's Jan. 5 sale, the confiscated
newborn was left behind by an unidentified owner and suffered neglect for at
least four hours before he was discovered by Mohler and taken to a
veterinarian.

The goat's mother had already been sold and
taken away, so he was left alone, unable to stay warm or nurse. He already had
hypothermia and a navel infection by the time I found him. He barely survived
the ordeal," said Officer Mohler. "Though this goat was a victim of
neglect and deserves protection under the law, the owner could not be
identified and therefore could not be charged. In any event, it is inexcusable
that the animal was left to die and no one noticed - especially given New
Holland's poor track record with abuse. This incidence is not isolated,
but rather symptomatic of larger animal welfare problems at this
facility."

In the past weeks alone, the owner and an employee of New
Holland Sales Stables were charged with animal cruelty for allegedly leaving a
live cow with a bullet in her head on a dead pile for hours. On Jan. 4, Officer
Mohler began investigating an incident involving a badly injured horse who had
to be euthanized at the facility. The stockyard has been the subject of
multiple animal cruelty investigations through the years as well. It was found
guilty on three counts of animal cruelty in 2007, after Mohler filed charges on
behalf of Farm Sanctuary for inhumane handling of downed sheep on the premises.
In 2006, the stockyard was acquitted of animal cruelty on a technicality after
leaving a live sheep in a dumpster. And, in 2004, a man who dragged a horse at
the stockyard was convicted of animal cruelty.

This most recent instance of abuse also sheds light on the
need for greater protection for farm animals who are too weak or sick to walk
on their own in order to prevent them from languishing at farms, stockyards and
slaughterhouses without food, water or veterinary care. Farm Sanctuary has
worked to end downed animal abuse for more than 20 years through its No Downers Campaign and continues to lobby
for federal legislation that would require the immediate, humane euthanasia of
not only cattle, but also all animals who become nonambulatory, including
goats, sheep and pigs. More information can be found at nodowners.org.

"About one-week old now, the goat is still suffering
from pneumonia and navel ill and is currently at Cornell University's
Hospital for Animals where he is awaiting a possible blood transfusion and
fighting for his life," said Farm Sanctuary National Shelter Director Susie Coston. "If someone had just taken some
time to clean his umbilical cord with iodine and allow the baby to receive
vital colostrum from his mother before they took her away, all of this
suffering could have been prevented. The fact that he was denied this very
basic care at New Holland is unconscionable."