Merlin, a mini Vietnamese Potbelly Pig and TIkTok star, along with his humans Mina and Alex, have revealed they rescued a baby cow from an abusive petting zoo!
Merlin blew up on TikTok this year, thanks to his sass and everyday antics with his mom Mina Alali.
Merlin currently has a Bearded dragon and three rat roommates, that rescued their mom last year (see below).
@mina.alali Um i’m gonna cry #ratsoftiktok #xyzbca #ratsarepetstoo #fyp ♬ Sad Emotional Piano – DS Productions
Then, a couple of days ago, Merlin’s humans revealed they saved a one-month-old calf from a petting zoo that was mistreating all of their animals.
@mina.alali Wish we took pictures of Moo at 10 days old – he was lifeless. Now he’s thriving #rescued #adopted #cow #calf #cowsoftiktok #fyp #xyzbca ♬ Originalton – POV’s
Now named Moo, the calf was living at a petting zoo from birth, up until they adopted him at around one month. Mina, Alex, and her sister went to a pumpkin patch that also had a petting zoo. They took a look around the zoo and could tell all the animals looked mistreated and malnourished. They noticed many of the animals’ water bowls had dirty water or none at all. They even mentioned it to the zoo’s staff, who replied, “How about you guys do it then?”. (And they did) Then they saw a frighteningly thin Jersey calf, who was only ten days old at the time.
At only 10 days old he was frighteningly thin, and for the hour that we spent there, the calf didn’t move a muscle. His eyes were slightly open but did not even budge upon touching/scratching his back. Alex’s sister, who was also with us, thought the calf was dead – that’s how bad it was.
Mina Alali
They found out the calf, who was way too young to be separated from his mom, wasn’t even being given proper food – They were giving him store-bought milk because its cheaper. He actually weighed less than how much an average cow weighed at birth. They then saw a sign that read, “All animals here are available to purchase for either pets or food.” They asked about the calf, but were told someone already put their name down to take him to a dairy/meat farm…
They still put their name down in case the previous person didn’t pay for the calf. And luckily, they received a call they could pick him up! They rushed to get the calf proper food and supplies and picked him up. While Moo only had a few days of freedom and love, he’s doing well. And in case you’re wondering, like his two million followers, Merlin and Moo hit it off instantly!
In another TikTok, Mina and Alex addressed commenter’s concerns about looking after a calf as it grows. And they spoke about how they have educated themselves, are prioritizing Moo’s wellbeing, and that they obviously realize he’s going to grow into a full-size cow eventually. But instead of sharing that video, as its already obvious they’re caring for Moo properly, we want to share the lovely video of Mina’s dad meeting Moo:
As they rushed to rescue Moo and never had a pet cow previously – Plus Moo has never had a vet checkup – They don’t know what kind of expenses they might deal with. So if you’re able to help out, please check out their GoFundMe. And you can follow their Merlin and Moo on TikTok at @mina.alali and on Instagram at @merlinthepig.
For another pig that’s all about positivity, check out: Living with Pickles – A surfing, painting, therapy pig with a rescue animal family.