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For immediate release: June 9, 2014
WASHINGTON, DC – Three former employees of Colorado’s Quanah Cattle Co. who were caught on undercover video kicking, throwing, and dragging newborn calves have all pleaded guilty to criminal animal cruelty and, as of June 2, all three have now been sentenced.
Weld County Judge Michele Lynn Meyer presided over all three sentencing hearing, noting that the video was “disturbing to the Court.” According to press releases issued by the Weld County District Attorney’s office, all three defendants received identical sentences: each is subject to two years of supervised probation, required to pay a $500 penalty, and must complete 300 hours of community service which includes attending a “Making Better Choices” class.
The undercover video at the center of this criminal case was filmed by Taylor Radig, a whistleblower working for Compassion Over Killing, a national nonprofit animal protection organization. Radig worked at Quanah Cattle Co for a few weeks in 2013, wearing a hidden camera to document the egregious violence endured by dairy calves, most of whom were just days old and barely able to walk.
“Documenting the abuses forced upon these young and fragile animals was heartbreaking,” states Radig. “But to see this case go to court gives me hope. It demonstrates that as much as the meat and dairy industry try to hide their sordid cruelty, the American public is learning more about this violence and increasingly rejecting it.”
According to COK Executive Director Erica Meier, “It’s encouraging that this case of cruelty to calves was taken seriously, though we need not wait for courts to act to prevent this kind of abuse – we can help animals simply by choosing to leave them off our plates.”
Visit COK.net/Quanah for more details.
Compassion Over Killing (COK) is a nonprofit animal protection organization based in Washington, DC. Since 1995, COK has worked to end the abuse of animals in agriculture through undercover investigations, public outreach, litigation, and other advocacy programs. On the web at COK.net.