Actually, to be precise, Jerry's a steer. A PETA investigator found him hobbling around a field and scrounging for weeds at the appallingly filthy Pennsylvania dairy farm we told you about last month. This is how the investigator described the 5-month-old calf in her log:

[I] found a steer at the entrance to the barn (outside of the fence) who looked [to be] in a pitiful condition. He is thin, pot-bellied, buckled over at the front knees and pasterns … and when he looks at you he has a tilt to his head. Flies were covering both of his eyes, which appeared cloudy.

The flies seemed to know that Jerry was a goner.

In addition to being crippled, the young calf was crawling with lice and was nearly blind because of pinkeye, a bacterial infection that spreads like wildfire in the disgusting conditions on factory farms. PETA's investigator bought Jerry and whisked him away to a "safe house" until he could be driven to his new home at a sanctuary.

Although he was initially (and understandably) terrified of humans, we're told that Jerry became mysteriously calm during the ride to the sanctuary. It was as if he considered the journey to be an adventure and knew that it would end at a safe and loving place.

Jerry has (literally) landed in clover.

Jerry has now almost fully recovered and regained most of his sight. He loves to wait outside the back door every evening at dinner time, and he's become the adopted "big brother" of another calf who was rescued from the same farm. If the younger calf strays too far, Jerry will go off in search of his adopted sibling.

Unfortunately, not all calves are as lucky as Jerry. Most male calves who are born on dairy farms are sent to slaughter, usually after they've been confined for up to 23 weeks to cramped veal crates that are intended to prevent the calves from moving so that their flesh will stay unnaturally pale. Making sure that you don't contribute to their suffering is as easy as giving up dairy foods.

To read a more about Jerry, you can head over to Facebook, where he is featured on our "causes" page.

Posted by Alisa Mullins

aceshowbiz / CC

This week, Kevin Skinner—an unemployed chicken catcher from Mayfield, Kentucky—sang and strummed his way to the top of America's Got Talent and walked away with a cool million dollars. Congratulations, Kevin!

Kevin's been given a new start on life. Wouldn't it endear him to millions of people if he were to extend that same second chance to those in need—say, to chickens who were abused on factory farms?

We're asking Kevin to donate part of his prize money to a farmed-animal sanctuary to help care for chickens abused by the meat and egg industries. Kevin has the opportunity to give chickens the chance to enjoy all the things that they were denied on factory farms, such as building nests, caring for their young, and enjoying the company of their flock.

We also sent him a congratulatory present, of course: a package of Boca Chik'n Patties. Delicious!

Posted by Amanda Schinke

thesun.co / CC

Never buy an animal on a whim just because you saw one in a movie. How many times do we have to say this?

It looks like at least once more. Harry Potter fans, or to be more precise, their parents, have broken our cardinal rule of movie fandom. As a result, an animal sanctuary has opened on the Isle of Wight in the U.K. to help cope with the problem of owls who have been dumped by people who purchased them without thinking.

In the books and movies, Harry's snowy owl, Hedwig, is portrayed as low-maintenance, but many fans who purchased snowy owls for their kids are realizing that real owls require a lot of attention—and they're abandoning the birds after the magic wears off.

The moral of this story is twofold. Companion animals shouldn't be acquired on a whim, and birds of prey shouldn't be preyed upon by film fanatics.

Posted by Karin Bennett

OMG … this is the cutest, most fascinating video that I've seen in a long time. Prepare yourself for intense adorableness.

Watch CBS Videos Online

You are now officially armed with even more proof that animals are emotional, sensitive, and complex beings.

Posted by Christine Doré

scienceblogs / CC

The 4,500-plus songbirds who become temporary inhabitants at Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals wildlife centers will now be receiving free tuition and room and board. According to this BBC story, babies who are taken in for treatment need a chance to learn songs so that they can socialize with their peers once they are released. Because birds learn songs from their parents, growing up at a rehabilitation facility would mean no knowledge of birdsong—until now.

The solution is as simple as a CD recording of birdsong and a small boombox. The babies learn to mimic the songs that they hear in the center, which are real recordings from the wild—exactly what they're supposed to be learning. Upon completed treatment and release (read: graduation from Songbird U.), they're ready to go chat it up with friends and family outside the center, saying such cute things as "Food? Now?" and "Mate? Now?"

I always find it heartwarming to come across very elaborate efforts to care for some wild species, which, for some reason or another, ends up at rehabilitation centers. As contradictory as it may seem given the huge animal industries that exist today, rescue and rehabilitation efforts demonstrate just how much humans are capable of caring for animals—both as individuals and as species.

Posted by Sean Conner