"Vegana, the cow".

The cow is called Vegana. She is black with white spots, long legs, very expressive
eyes and her big nose is always wet. She is very funny, she loves to eat tomatoes
and when we offer them to her, she prances with joy! It is surprising and fun to see
her big belly moving to the rhythm of her big hops, although I think the most
surprising thing is to notice that Vegana doesn't imagine how big she is.
Sometimes, when she sees me walking with some fruits in my hands for the
animals, she runs towards me as if I were a puppy running after a ball. That's
where I run too, because I see what she doesn't see: her big size!

I remember when I saw her for the first time, I had never seen so much tenderness
and panic in one look.

In one of her ears, she had a number. It was one of those very common tickets that
all animals have in slaughterhouses. Her body was trapped in a plastic box, which
had an opening so that she could take her head out and drink water or eat. As I
saw her, I did not understand why she was in such a small box in which she could
barely move, so I approached the gentleman standing there and asked:

- Excuse me, it’s curious for me to see that calf in that box, could you tell me the
reason?

He answered:

- The calves are placed in boxes so that they do not develop muscles, lean mass.
This way their meat will be soft, and I will be able to earn much more money for it.

I was shocked to learn where that soft and tender meat that is so popular and so
demanded comes from. I stared at her and she stared at me. I swear I felt that her
gaze was asking for help! I felt confused and overwhelmed, these places generate
a whirlwind of emotions that are very difficult to manage. I took a deep breath and
looked at all the other animals, but it was almost impossible to focus on any animal
other than her.

I asked the gentleman for her price, but she was very expensive. I didn't really
have the money at the moment, it was the amount it would cost me to save five to
six goats, and that made me feel very frustrated. I also asked him if they were
going to kill her that day and he said no. It would probably be the next day. I looked
at her one more time and left regretting that I could not do anything for her at that
moment.
As I drove, I thought about what I could do. I kept thinking about that all day. I
arrived at the farm and after a while, I received a call from my mother, who
immediately noticed that something was wrong with me. I told her that I felt I had to
rescue this calf, but that it was very expensive.

I told her how frustrated I was because of the many expenses the farm generated.
My mother listened to me carefully and when we were about to say goodbye, she
told me to go get the calf, that she would give me the money for the rescue. I was
very happy and at the same time very anxious. I looked at the clock and realized
that the place was already closed, I took a deep breath and thought: "tomorrow I
will go get her". But then I wondered how I would carry her.

So far, I had transported all the rescued animals in my van, but how could I carry a
calf? It was impossible! So, I quickly called Jose. This friend has helped me a lot
on the farm, supporting me in everything to do with building areas for the rescued,
and he was the only person I knew with a commercial van, so I called him and told
him the plan. His reaction was a big laugh. He always laughs at my last-minute
plans, to the point that sometimes he answers the phone and says, "Now what are
you up to?". And even if the plan is crazy or hurried, he always smiles and does his
best to support me. So, this time he said, "Ok. I'll pick you up tomorrow and let's go
get the calf!

I woke up the next day with great joy and anxiety. My daughter Dayanne and I
waited for Jose, got into his truck like two little girls and went to get the calf! The
ride took forever, and the closer we got, the more I prayed that she was still alive.

We got there! I asked Jose to get out and do the purchase, as I was extremely
nervous. From the van, I could see the man with whom I talked about the calf. At
that moment, he was surrounded by other men and they were having a
conversation. I looked at Jose and said, "Please, ask about the calf and act as if
you want it for food or sacrifice, but make it clear that you want it alive! I pointed
out from the window of the truck to the man I had to talk to and that's how he
started the plan.

I watched everything from the van's rearview mirror and my nerves were increasing
along with my thoughts. After a few minutes, Jose approached me and told me that
the calf was still alive and that they had gone to look for her. I could not control my
excitement. I remember that my daughter and I looked at each other with relief and
joy. Several men brought her in and loaded her into the van with great difficulty due
to her weight, size and muscular atrophy. The calf was very frightened and I was
astonished to see that all of them managed to get her into the truck.
When the van doors closed and Jose said goodbye to the men, we left quickly. I
think that at that moment the joy and nerves were not only mine and my
daughter's, Jose also expressed joy at having experienced saving the life of a little
animal. We drove to Mina's Mini Farm and the calf kept moving around. It was
obvious that she was scared and so was I! Especially since I thought one of her
kicks might open the van doors. Jose drove very carefully and we finally arrived.

When we arrive with a rescue animal at the farm, we always have the same
routine. Part of the routine is to drive to where the animals are. I do this only when
a new rescue arrives and all the animals already know it! The farm is never silent,
you always hear all the active species with their ways and languages, but
whenever we get out of the van with a new rescue, all the animals come closer,
observe and keep silent.

The calf was very scared, but she gradually calmed down. We left her alone to
It is fascinating that after that pause, species by species seem to communicate
with the new rescue animal and, as they all express themselves, it is very
obvious how the new little animal calms down, as if being told that it is safe and
has arrived at its new home.

make her feel safe and, in the distance, we could see her trying to stand up.
Although she had a lot of weakness in her legs and could hardly do it, she
managed to do stand up.

The next day we approached her, although she was already calmer in her space,
she was still very scared when she saw us. At some point, I walked up to her,
stared at her and said, "Your name will be Vegana. Your name will send a
message to everyone who meets you." I smiled and promised to earn her trust.
And so it was. Vegana runs, walks and feels like the queen of the farm, in fact, she
is the alpha of all species and herds.

"Ms Piggy"

This cute and special little piggy is a white-haired mini pot-bellied. All white-haired
piggies look pink because her fur is very visible, which makes them look
completely pink. She has short legs and a big nose, brown eyes and a unique
personality, especially since she doesn't like to interact with other animals.

I remember the first day I saw her. She was very small and was at a farm that sells
animals for religious sacrifices. According to the guy who works there, she was a
mistake in the truck that came with animals to his farm. The boy said to me, "Buy
her and save her. She will stay small. She arrived by mistake, maybe they didn't
realize that she entered the truck along with the other animals, because I don't sell
this kind of pigs here.”

Regardless of whether she was going to stay small or not, I bought her and took
her to the farm. The whole ride, she screamed like she was going to be killed. That
day I learned that piggies can scream as loud as if they had a built-in microphone!
We arrived at the farm and she was very spoiled, especially since she was the first
Mina's Mini Farm pig. This beautiful little pig is very special to me, she gave me
one of the most beautiful gifts of my life.

"Cleo"

The fruit of Ms Piggy's love with Bacon, a Vietnamese piglet.

Bacon was a gift from a friend. This little pig was much smaller in size than Ms
Piggy, black in color with a white little spot on his head, expressive eyes, short legs
and a beautiful little belly that almost dragged against the floor, but the most
striking thing was his special size. It was really very small, its size disproved that
micro pigs do not exist. It is worth mentioning that farm pigs can reach a weight of
up to 880 pounds, for this reason, pigs that reach up to 154 pounds are called
"mini pigs" and pigs that reach from 44 pounds to 59 pounds are called "micro
pigs".

Bacon, without a doubt, was a mini pig and from the moment he arrived at the farm
he fell in love with Ms Piggy. I remember that when one of our veterinarians visited,
I told her that I did not want them to reproduce, since our job was to rescue and
within our possibilities we tried to minimize reproduction among our rescues as
much as possible. She laughed and told me:

"Amina, the only way this pair is going to make it to have babies is for him to take a
bench to reach her. Look how small he is."

I looked at him and laughed so hard, because he was actually very small
compared to her. I forgot completely about that idea.

After a few months, something very sad and unexpected happened. I found Bacon
lying in his resting area and quickly picked him up. My daughter and I did not
understand what it was, but he was dying without any visible sign of what was
happening to him. Amidst our confusion, helplessness and sadness, we called the
veterinarian who, at the time, was not available and in only about five minutes after
finding him, he passed away. The veterinarian returned our call and we arranged to
check his body for an autopsy; a few days later the results indicated that it was a
heart attack.

Approximately three months passed, Ms Piggy missed him and it was very obvious
in her behavior, but it was also noticeable that her belly was getting bigger every
day and that her walk was not the same. She walked very slowly and kept drinking
a lot of water, more than usual. I watched her and felt very sure that she was
pregnant, but I also wondered how it was possible, there was no way! Despite my
doubts, I called the vet and asked her to visit us. When she arrived, she examined
her and told me:

- She is pregnant and will have her piglets very soon.

- So, Bacon found a bench somewhere on the farm, did he? I said.

She just smiled and nodded her head. It was a great surprise. I was very happy. A
few days passed until the big moment arrived! I went to Ms Piggy's area to bring
her food and we found five little pigs, two little black ones, almost a replica of
Bacon, and three white ones that looked pink like their mom. Sadly, one of the pink
ones was dead. The veterinarian had already warned us that it was very common,
that some or even several could die during or after farrowing due to complications
or any other conditions. We took all the piglets along with Ms Piggy and brought
them to the farm house, cleaned them up and placed them in a warm and
comfortable area for the new mom to rest along with her babies.

We decided to call our veterinarian for directions and ask her to visit us to see all
the piglets. As she arrived, we were fascinated watching this mother pig with her
piglets. It was my first time witnessing a mother pig with her babies. A couple of
hours later, the veterinarian arrived and told us that we should give iron to all the
piglets, as they are usually born with little iron in their blood. She also told us that
we should buy a metal separator that they use in hatcheries and slaughterhouses
when they have mothers, especially first-time sows, as it is very common for them
to unknowingly step on their piglets.