Swoozie

Emaciated, injured and critically ill when they were discovered at a Watsonville, California ranch and slaughterhouse, Swoozie and 12 other goats, along with Susie Moo cow, had been so severely neglected that the humane officer who found and seized them feared for their lives. Now diverted from the bleak path once looming before them, the animals have reached Farm Sanctuary, where all roads lead to promise.

On that day in May of 2008, Santa Cruz Animal Services Supervising Field Manager Todd Stosuy launched an official investigation after spotting more than a dozen animals in noticeable distress, even from the road, he counted nearly 100 farm animals in sum – including rabbits, chickens, cattle, goats, and sheep – awaiting death in a filthy, desolate feedlot without adequate food and water.

The animals, Stosuy soon learned, had either been bred on the property or acquired at auction by the slaughterhouse owner and confined in the feedlot until hand-selected by local customers and slaughtered on site – much like the live animal markets that proliferate in urban centers such as New York City. The sickest, most malnourished animals had likely been on the property the longest and therefore had come closest to succumbing to neglect before even reaching the kill floor.

At the California Shelter, where the confiscated animals were rehabilitated after all they endured, veterinary assessment revealed that a number of the goats had severe upper respiratory infections, parasite infestations and fungal infections. One goat had an eye ulcer that had been left untreated for so long she was almost blind, and most had overgrown, rotten hoofs that made walking difficult. Sadly, one of the goats was too sick to even stand, and despite their efforts to save her, she passed away soon after her rescue – exposing, yet again, the immense suffering that comes of downed animal abuse.

Despite the poor state of the seized animals, the California State Department of Agriculture, whose agents visited the Santa Cruz County facility after Stosuy’s investigation, determined that the slaughterhouse conditions posed no health risk to consumers – essentially allowing for the continued operation of the facility and the prolonged suffering of the animals who remained there simply because they hadn’t yet fallen to such extreme neglect that they could legally be removed by animal control.

Swoozie and all the others, spend their days relaxing, mooching for treats, grazing on grass and hay, and just being a goat. Swoozie is best friends with Kanbar, another goat who was rescued from this case. She’s a really sweet girl and will walk up to greet you if you’re near her.


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