Eagle Acres Dairy, and its long-time owners Erin and Brian Anderson, welcomes in people interested in learning about how their milk is produced.
But surveillance footage showed unwelcome visitors in the middle of the night on Thursday, Aug. 1.
“Two people trespassed onto our property and brutally killed the five-day old calf,” the dairy owners said in a Facebook post.
Erin Anderson was surprised to see a newborn calf missing from its pen, as well as a considerable” trail of blood” leading out of the barn.
After reviewing the farm’s surveillance footage, the owner’s surprise turned into shock and devastation.
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A male was seen shooting at the calf from outside the barn with a crossbow, four times, Anderson relayed. A woman stood and watched.
The man proceeded to grab an arrow from the dying calf and stab it nearly 15 times, Anderson estimated.
“One person does the act and one person watches,” the owner said. “It was very graphic and serial killer-ish.”
Eagle Acres owners are asking people to share the surveillance photos in hopes of catching the people who committed this cruelty. As well as to caution other dairy farmers in the area.
“They then loaded the calf into what the RCMP believe to be a high-end SUV, possibly a Mercedes or BMW, and drove off,” the Facebook posting went on to say.
“The calf was still moving as it was being dragged out of the barn and into the vehicle,” Anderson said.
Langley RCMP Cpl. Holly Largy said the police have a file open on the incident. Police confirmed arrows from a crossbow were left behind.
Mounties are having its technology people assess the surveillance footage to obtain still photos and other evidence to be used in the investigation.
Largy agreed that the calf may not have been dead when it was loaded into the vehicle, so if any charges are laid, it would likely include causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
The calf’s mother Super and her grandmother Sierre, still reside on the dairy farm.
“We named her Scorcher because she was born on a very hot day,” Anderson elaborated.
Eagle Acres started in 1999. In 2017, it moved to the Glen Valley location, near Fort Langley, and has always welcomed people from around the globe, including school groups.
Visitors have the opportunity to try out typical dairy farm chores, including milking a cow.
The family farm receives around-the-clock deliveries of seed, milk, and other necessities.
“This requires not having a front gate so trucks can drive in when they deliver at night,” Anderson explained.
It was something the suspects took advantage of when they drove right up beside the calving pen.
“We are still mortified,” Anderson uttered.
On Sunday night, RCMP called the owners to inform them that no substantial tips have been submitted, which puts the investigation at somewhat of a standstill, Brian Anderson said.
“There has been a considerable amount of worry expressed from the public,” he added.
