Debbie is a 23 year old Hereford cow who came from a zoo in New Jersey. When Debbie was 18, the zoo director decided that she was too old and no longer "exhibit quality", so he wanted to send her to slaughter. The zookeepers who had cared for her for many years protested, and asked if they could send Debbie to a sanctuary. She came to Poplar Spring in 1997, and now grazes on the Sanctuary's 400 acres with her 13 cow friends. She eats grass, timothy hay and grain, and likes to find low branches in the woods to scratch her back on. Even though she is much older than the rest of the herd, she still manages to keep up on their several miles a day walks |
