Gavin

"To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved." ~ George MacDonald

Gavin was born on 30th April 2019 and arrived at Little Oak Sanctuary on 14 June 2021.

Gavin is a red Angus steer. Raised by a community youth group, Gavin has known only the kindness of humans; he is gentle and affectionate.

When Gavin was around 18 months old, he was sold with a few other steers to a cattle farmer. After the truck unloaded all of the steers, the farmer watched, shocked, as instead of moving away with the rest of the group, Gavin approached him and gave him a big wet lick.

Cattle are gentle beings capable of forming loving relationships with humans, as much so as the companion animals with whom we share our homes. Sadly, most animals raised for food are not treated with the patience, kindness and affection that creates trust and respect. Regarded as items of stock, most farmed animals have few interactions with humans that aren't frightening or painful. As such, they can become wary of people - just as a cat or dog who had not had positive human interactions might behave.

Gavin, however, trusts humans. He has known kindness and affection, and he trusts humans to care for him. Sadly, once the project of raising Gavin was complete, the community youth group that raised him sold him. Gavin was on track to end up at the slaughterhouse. As a breed of cow used for meat and as a steer (desexed male), he would have been sent to the sale yards within a relatively short while (most beef cattle are killed at around two years of age, where a steers natural lifespan is 15-20 years).

Fortunately for him, his story touched some hearts. Gavin was rescued, heading to Little Oak Sanctuary to be safe for his natural lifespan. Gavin is a loving, affectionate being who values his life. While most steers raised for meat aren't provided with the opportunity to build trust with humans, their lives matter just as much to them. When we consider that we can be happy and healthy without eating animals, the environmental impact of eating animals, and the suffering it causes, it's hard to believe we do it.

Gavin will live his life as an advocate for bovines across the country. You can support him and our work by donating or becoming a sponsor today.

Help Protect Cows

For their size, cattle are remarkably gentle creatures. Despite their gentle nature and capacity to suffer as any other animal, cows aren't protected by the same laws as dogs and cats. 'Codes of Practice' side-step the rules, meaning that painful procedures can be undertaken without pain relief, and their lives are routinely ended well before their natural lifespan has been reached. It doesn't have to be this way.

When you sponsor a Little Oak calf or cow you will be helping protect all cattle. Your sponsorship will support Little Oak's essential advocacy work – sharing the stories of individual cows and the plight of their kind across the nation.

Sponsor today, and we'll take you on a journey to learn more about cattle through our regular updates - exclusive only to our monthly sponsors. We'll also keep you up to date on how your monthly gifts are helping to secure a brighter future for the cows at Little Oak, and their kind across Australia.