Lucky: A Life Bought Back for 2,500 Pesos

He was meant for slaughter. Instead, he got a name, and a chance to live.
lucky-the-goat

It was a Saturday morning. I was manning our small shop, which also serves as my office for remote work. I stepped outside to meet a delivery rider for a client order.

A few meters away, I saw several men standing in a circle.

“May naligsan!” someone shouted. 

I walked closer.

The Goat on the Road

On the ground was a goat. Less than a year old. Still a baby, at least to me. One of his legs had been badly hit by an electric tricycle. His breathing was labored. His head rested on the ground. Not sleeping. Just tired. Overheated. In pain.

Slowly, the people around us started to leave.

“Wala na. Ihawon na ni,” someone said.

They left the goat there. Waiting for the owner. Waiting for slaughter.

This Is Normal Here

Goats roam freely here. Just like dogs and cats. This is normal in many parts of the Philippines. I am not vegan. I understand that goats are food to many people. I have not eaten goat meat in a long time, but I know this is our reality.

Still, when I looked at the goat, I saw something else.

Exhaustion.
Defeat.

God knows how many slaughters he has already witnessed in his short life. Does he know this is what was waiting for him too?

Choosing Not to Walk Away

It was almost noon. The heat was intense. There was no way I could leave him there. Injured. In pain. Under the sun.

I got my car. Asked a neighbor to help me carry the goat to the back. Then I drove straight to the vet.

The Vet’s Options

When it was our turn, the vet examined him and said his leg was broken.

There were two options.

Option one. Treat the goat. Give antibiotics. But once treated, he could no longer be sold for meat because of the medication. That meant I would need to find the owner and buy the goat.

Option two. Do not treat him. Bring him back. Let him be slaughtered.

I did not even know who the owner was.

I chose the first option.

I named him Lucky.

Meeting the Owner

I left Lucky at the vet and went back to the shop.

That same day, around 7 in the evening, an old woman came in looking for me. She was the owner of the goat. She had heard I was the one who brought him to the vet.

“Why did you bring it to the vet?” she asked.
“Napagastos ka pa. Pwede naman to katayon na lang.”

I understood her. This is how many people see goats. As food. Nothing more.

I told her I would buy him.

She came back the next day to collect the payment.

For 2,500 pesos, I saved a life.

Lucky is still at the vet now. He is being treated. Healing slowly.

I am committed to his recovery. Once he is better, I will find him a place where he is no longer seen as food. But as a family member.

A Quiet Realization

I know I made the right choice.

I may not change the fate of all goats. Or all animals that are only seen as food.
But for Lucky, it mattered.

Sometimes, kindness does not change the world. Sometimes, it only changes one life.

And sometimes, that is enough.

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