Jefferson came to SASHA Farm in December 2003, already a national celebrity. Raised on a farm not far from the sanctuary in Manchester, Michigan, Jefferson was sold by the pound at a local livestock auction and eventually found himself being loaded onto a truck destined for a slaughterhouse in Detroit. Like millions of other animals every year raised as food, his short life was about to come to a terrible, brutal end. But Jefferson did something that touched the hearts of thousands of people: He ran. Instead of marching solemnly to his death, he broke free. His courageous escape and subsequent flight down busy Jefferson Avenue captured the attention of the media and the public, and though he was captured, he brought much needed attention to the plight of his bovine breathren.

Through tense negotiations and much public outcry, instead of being slaughtered, the slaughterhouse allowed Jefferson to come live at SASHA Farm. He now lives with a herd of seven other cows and spends his days happily wandering around his hilly wooded pasture, foraging for tasty foliage or lying in the shade with his bovine family. He's grown quite a bit since his arrival at the sanctuary, but remains a gentle, quiet soul.