Six months ago, Tracy Murphy met Albert, a day old calf, at a Western New York auction house and knew she had to take him home. Shivering, barely able to walk, Albert had just been separated from his mother and faced slaughter. “He was crying for his mother, and it was the saddest thing I ever saw,” Murphy recalled. “I knew I had to get him out of that situation. I brought him home and the vet came out the next day and said he had a 50/50 chance of living. But he’s doing great now. He’s absolutely the most beautiful steer. He’s friendly, loves hugs, and has known only love here.” And so another farm animal sanctuary began.

Murphy founded the nonprofit sanctuary, Asha, in Newfane, New York, to rescue “farmed” animals and give them a safe and nurturing environment. “Asha” stands for Acres of Sanctuary and Hope for Animals. Asha is also a big promoter of animal-friendly veg diets. “Kiss a cow” refers to the music composed and performed by Dan Crow at their grand opening. From what we can tell no-one actually kissed the cows or the many other farm animals there. But then who knows? After all, we don’t like to kiss and tell!

Vegetarians of Washington is happy to see the continuing growth of the farm animal sanctuary movement that saves the animals, increases public awareness of their plight, and so enthusiastically promotes vegetarian diets. Keep up the good work Tracy.