Our latest investigation into the Mt. Hope Auction once again exposed the plight of these poor animals and reaffirmed our commitment to advocate for the baby calves who continue to suffer.

Baby calves are by-products of an industry which keeps dairy cows pregnant to ensure maximum milk production. Ripped away from their mothers at birth, female calves are destined to become the next generation of dairy cows, and the unwanted male calves are sent on to auction and then processed into veal. 

Newborn calves are the most vulnerable animals at auction, with some even arriving with their umbilical cord still attached. Many are barely able to walk, and most are disoriented and traumatized after being separated from their mother. These poor baby calves then live solitary lives inside a small crate until they are slaughtered between 14 to 16 weeks of age. 

This tragic situation has prompted many states, along with some industry organizations, to create specific protections for these vulnerable creatures. While the current protections fall far short of what is needed, Animals’ Angels found during our recent investigation of Mt. Hope Auction in Ohio that even these slim protections are being cruelly disregarded.

The Mt. Hope Auction in Ohio offers a busy schedule of sales, with weekly livestock sales and a monthly horse sale that provides local kill buyers with a steady stream of horses. 

Animals’ Angels investigators have monitored the auction for years, investigating their exotic animal sale, which is one of the largest in the country, and which sells animals such as camels, water buffaloes, zebras, foxes, and exotic birds. Many of these poor creatures are sold to hunting preserves to be used in “canned hunts.”

Based on previous investigations, Animals’ Angels has filed multiple complaints against the Mt. Hope exotic animal auction for not providing water and appropriate crates for the animals in their care. While those complaints resulted in improvements, our latest investigation shows that Mt. Hope has a long way to go to overcome their shameful legacy of poor conditions and inadequate handling of the animals at the sale.

When our investigators arrived at Mt. Hope for the weekly livestock auction, they were shocked to see what appeared to be auction workers grabbing calves and sheep roughly by their legs and dragging them around. When the workers could not get the animals to move as they wanted, they kicked the calves, pulled them by their ears and hit them in the face with moving paddles and sticks.

An Amish/Mennonite man in an orange shirt was particularly rough with the sheep and calves, grabbing a sheep by the head and throwing the poor animal across the alley. Our team was outraged to see the same man use a stun gun on already struggling baby calves. Our investigators watched in horror as the babies twitched in pain and tried frantically to move away when the spark from the stun gun hit them. 

This brutal method of moving calves is prohibited by Ohio’s so-called Livestock Care Standards, a set of guidelines created in 2011 to define the minimum standards of care and handling of farm animals. According to section 901:12-3-03 D3 of the Ohio Administrative Code, electric prods must not be used on calves less than 200 lbs. of body weight, and a first-time violation carries a potential $500.00 civil penalty.

However, Animals’ Angels discovered that this was not the first time someone at Mt. Hope had been caught using an electric cattle prod on calves. Back in May 2018, an inspector from the Ohio Department of Agriculture issued an official Notice of Violation when he witnessed an individual moving calves with an electric prod. (Investigation #38-130LICFE-0013)

Based on past investigations and our recent observations, it’s painfully clear that ongoing inhumane methods are in use by the workers at Mt. Hope. The auction has full responsibility to supervise their employees or anyone else moving animals inside the pen area and ensure that they comply with the local protection laws as they handle the animals on their property. 

It’s unacceptable for an established auction as big as Mt. Hope to allow the brutal treatment of baby calves that our investigators witnessed during their visit. Thus, we have filed a formal complaint with the Ohio Department of Agriculture and await feedback.  We will also continue to keep a close eye on the treatment of animals at Mt. Hope and will swiftly report any future violations. 

We know it’s hard for our supporters to read about the callous handling of these baby calves, and unbearable for our investigators to witness their suffering firsthand, but we can’t turn away from their need. 

Act today and add your voice to the many voices calling for real change. Share the important information in this newsletter with as many people as you can in order to spread awareness of the sad plight of the baby calves in the dairy industry. 

Animals’ Angels is committed to bringing meaningful change to the lives of innocent animals. Through advocacy, awareness, and compassion we can make a difference together. 

Will you join us in advocating for the animals today? Your tax-free donation will be used to support future investigations and will enable us to continue our work on behalf of the animals who so badly need our help. 

Animals' Angels

PO BOX 1056

Westminster, MD 21158

443-821-3343

Animals' Angels works to fight cruelty against horses, dogs and farm animals in the US, Canada and Mexico. Every week, our team conducts undercover investigations at auctions, kill pens, feedlots and slaughter plants to document the abuse animals face every day.

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