Franklin the steer is moving on to greener pastures.
The Facebook famous, 1,700-pound 8-year-old is now being
cared for at the SquirrelWood Equine Sanctuary in Montgomery.
“We are happy he’s here,” said sanctuary executive director
Beth Hyman.
Franklin used to live at the Forsyth Nature Center in
Kingston since he was a calf, until concerns last week went viral on
social media about his care, living arrangements and health.
“What we heard was, he had become cast in his stall and his
enclosure up there. That’s when they lay down too close to a wall and they
can’t get up," said Hyman.
Hyman says their veterinarian cared for Franklin at the
city-funded petting zoo in Ulster County and asked them if they could take the
steer after public outcry and demands the city relocate him.
Hyman says while Franklin was well-cared for, there were
concerns about the size of his enclosure and that he was living alone without
other cows.
She says Franklin also has leg problems from when he was a
calf that contributed to a recent fall and several injuries to the animal's
face and body.
“He had a ton of attention. People loved him. He educated
so many kids, but he just needs some more room to roam, and he’ll get that
here," said Hyman.
Franklin is in quarantine and under veterinary care but
will eventually have 15 acres to graze at his new home.
“We are so grateful that Franklin is somewhere he will have space, soft pasture, and the company of other cows for the first time since he was a calf. We are relieved that the Forsyth Nature Center realized that their space was not a suitable home for a cow," said Rachel McCrystal, executive director at Woodstock Sanctuary.
Rescuers hope that once he's healed and ready, he’ll also
make some new four-legged friends.
“He’ll get introduced to other bovines, hopefully, if he
accepts that," said Hyman. "He has not been around them since he was
young, so we need to go slow.”
His new caretakers say Franklin's "fans" can
still see him at his new home once his quarantine is over in a few weeks.