Overview

• Born with shortened tendons and unable to stand, the calf was valued at about €100 by its owner, who called a butcher rather than pay an estimated €350 for surgery.
• Lothar Fornfett declined to shoot the animal, accepted it as a gift, and had a veterinarian operate on the tendons, after which the calf recovered.
• Now named Hugo, the castrated ox stands over two meters tall, weighs more than a tonne, and guards six young cattle on the Fornfett family’s pasture.
• Fornfett, who says he never wanted to be a butcher despite a career slaughtering animals, has granted Hugo a lifelong home on the farm.
• The Niedersächsisches Landvolk notes that calves are defined up to eight months old, male dairy calves are commonly slaughtered, and current market prices average around €300 with summer peaks near €490.