A 15-month-old calf managed to transform an ordinary Monday into a story of salvation and humanity. In Leinì, in the province of Turin, the animal managed to escape from the slaughterhouse where slaughter awaited it, running for hours through the city streets, scared but determined to save its life. What seemed like a simple escape became a symbol: an instinctive gesture that stirred the collective conscience.
The mayor’s intervention and the solidarity competition
It was the mayor Luca Torella who changed the fate of the calf, who chose to intervene personally. In an open letter to the owner, he expressed “a spontaneous movement of sympathy towards an animal that fought for its lifeAt that point, a solidarity competition was triggered: a group of people, who preferred to remain anonymous, donated the sum necessary to suspend the slaughter and guarantee a safe future for the animal.
From fear to freedom in a refuge
After the intervention of the veterinarians, the calf was initially returned to the farmer, pending the suspension of the sedative drugs before slaughter. But thanks to the mayor’s support and donations, fate was reversed. The little girl, renamed Torella – in honor of the mayor and to deny the headlines that called her “bull” – will be transferred to the Jill Phipps refuge in Albugnano, where sixteen cattle saved from the same fate already live.
The shelter shared the news with enthusiasm, but also with an important appeal: the rescued farm animals do not receive public funds, and their maintenance requires resources, space and constant care. For this reason, the managers invited those who followed the story to contribute with donations to cover the transport and reception costs.
Torella’s story, in addition to being moving, opens up a broader reflection on the relationship between human beings and farm animals. That desperate race through the streets of Leinì was not just an act of fear, but a sign of life, a call to look with different eyes at those who are too often considered only an economic resource. Today Torella will not end up in the slaughterhouse: he will have a refuge, a name and a new chance to exist.
THE CALF IS SAFE!!! The wandering bull of Leinì is actually a young 15-month-old calf. Escaped from the slaughterhouse…
Posted by Rifugio Jill Phipps on Wednesday, October 15, 2025
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