Curious Calf Offers Friendship to Lonely Blind Bison and Changes Her Life

Helen: the blind rescue bison lives at Lighthouse Farm Sanctuary in Oregon. She first arrived to the sanctuary around 6 years ago, but her nervous nature meant that it was difficult for her to socialize with the other animals.

"When Helen first got here she was very shy and seemed a little lonely, so we tried to pair her with ‘pasture pals’ so she could have a friend but no one really synced up with her,” Gwen from Lighthouse Farm Sanctuary said.

Unfortunately, this meant that Helen spent much of her time in solitude. “About a year later,” Gwen says, “we rescued a pregnant dairy cow named Betsy who gave birth to Oliver at the sanctuary. The minute he was big enough to go exploring he ventured out to Helen’s field and their friendship was almost immediate.”

Oliver the curious Jersey calf came along and showed Helen the love and understanding she deserves. The unlikely duo quickly became best friends, and formed an unbreakable bond. Helen’s motherly instinct also kicked in, and she began grooming Oliver. The young calf’s fur even started to change color as he got older to match her dark brown coat.

As their friendship blossomed, Helen’s entire attitude began to change, and she became visibly happier. Helen and Oliver spent an entire year together (with Oliver’s mom Betsy always close by), until the calf decided it was time to join the sanctuary’s cow herd. But that didn’t mean Helen returned to being lonely—her experience with Oliver gave her the confidence to welcome other animals into her life. That was when Uma, a newly rescued piglet began visiting Helen. The new friends often share meals and snuggle up together in the hay.