Cruel and Unusual

The stolen calves were finally found, but four were dead and the three remaining are not in the best of shape.

This just makes me sick. From photos of the barn where they were stolen, they lived in the best of conditions before they were taken. The place looked clean and bright and comfortable.

Now some jerks, for want of a better term, are alleged to have neglected them unto what was undoubtedly a horrible death.

Calf care is a highly skilled task. They are babies and need consistent and appropriate feed, care, and housing. Every little detail is important. You can just bet the farmer knew what height to place their feeders, what temperature to feed their milk, and what to watch for in the way of problems.

No doubt he understood the necessity for the esophageal groove to close so that the milk went into the abomasum and not the rumen, and how to achieve this goal.

And the need for warm, clean, dry bedding and freedom from drafts and damp. He surely understood animal husbandry. These brutes certainly did not. 

 I hope they throw the book at whoever did this ugly thing.