Animals Are Not Ours to experiment on, eat, wear, use for entertainment or abuse in any other way.

PETA Australia
  • Action Centre
  • Campaigns
  • Living
  • News
  • About
  • EMAIL SIGN-UP
  • DONATE NOW
    • VANGUARD SOCIETY
    • PETA PRESENTS
    • SUPPORT OUR WORK
    • MEMBERSHIP SERVICES
    • GIFTS IN WILLS
  • EMAIL SIGN-UP
  • DONATE NOW
    • VANGUARD SOCIETY
    • PETA PRESENTS
    • SUPPORT OUR WORK
    • MEMBERSHIP SERVICES
    • GIFTS IN WILLS
  • EMAIL SIGN-UP
  • DONATE NOW
    • VANGUARD SOCIETY
    • PETA PRESENTS
    • SUPPORT OUR WORK
    • MEMBERSHIP SERVICES
    • GIFTS IN WILLS
  • Action Centre
  • Campaigns
  • Living
  • News
  • About
  • EMAIL SIGN-UP
  • DONATE NOW
    • VANGUARD SOCIETY
    • PETA PRESENTS
    • SUPPORT OUR WORK
    • MEMBERSHIP SERVICES
    • GIFTS IN WILLS
PETA Australia
  • EMAIL SIGN-UP
  • DONATE NOW
    • VANGUARD SOCIETY
    • PETA PRESENTS
    • SUPPORT OUR WORK
    • MEMBERSHIP SERVICES
    • GIFTS IN WILLS
PETA Search Icon
Whale Migration Inspires PETA Ad – Mother Cows Love Their Calves Just as Whales Love Theirs
Kai Weinbeck

Whale Migration Inspires PETA Ad – Mother Cows Love Their Calves Just as Whales Love Theirs

News / Whale Migration Inspires PETA Ad – Mother Cows Love Their Calves Just as Whales Love Theirs
5 July 2023

Whale-watchers are flocking to Sydney’s headlands as another bumper whale migration passes by Australia’s eastern shores. Up to 50,000 humpback whales are currently travelling to their winter feeding grounds, with young whales spotted splashing, jumping, and playing along the way.

As Sydneysiders enjoy seaside ice creams and watch for tail fins, PETA’s latest ad is reminding the public that mother cows love their calves just as much as mother whales (also called cows) love theirs.

Whale Migration Inspires PETA Ad – Mother Cows Love Their Calves Just as Whales Love Theirs
Whale Migration Inspires PETA Ad – Mother Cows Love Their Calves Just as Whales Love Theirs
Whale Migration Inspires PETA Ad – Mother Cows Love Their Calves Just as Whales Love Theirs
Whale Migration Inspires PETA Ad – Mother Cows Love Their Calves Just as Whales Love Theirs

Humpback calves will spend a year nursing on their mother’s milk. The social structure of humpback whales revolves around the bond between mother and calf, who travel together during the calf’s first migration. As they grow up, humpbacks are typically solitary and rarely congregate, but whales within the same family sing long complex songs when together and as a way to communicate across considerable distances when apart. Each whale population has a unique tune that changes year after year, but how and why these songs come about remains a mystery to researchers.

Cows kept on Australian dairy farms also have strong bonds with their calves, who are typically torn away from them within a day of birth, causing extreme distress to both mother and baby. Instead of singing beautiful songs, cows can be heard frantically crying out in grief for days after their calves have been taken away. In their case, there should be no mystery as to what they are expressing or why.

Of the estimated 800,000 calves born on Australian dairy farms each year, most female babies are forced into the same traumatic cycle of pregnancy and milk production as their mothers, while around 300,000 of the males known as “bobby calves” are slaughtered within a few days of birth as unwanted “by-products” of the dairy industry.

Male calves are not bred to gain weight as are animals raised for meat, so they’re of little value to the meat industry. Common (and legal) killing methods include shooting them or hitting them on the head with a hammer. For those sent to the abattoir, current legislation allows journeys of up to 30 hours – with no food or water. Imagine taking a newborn baby from his or her mother, tossing the infant into the backseat of a car, and driving the child continuously without food or a break for 30 hours.

Mother cows and mother humpback whales both share a profound love for and devotion to their calves, but the cruel dairy industry doesn’t let cows experience that bond. It is time we extended our compassion to all species and see cows as the unique, sensitive individuals they are and not as milk machines. Help end this injustice by encouraging your friends and family to switch to dairy-free ice cream and drinks, such as those made from soy, rice, oat, or nut milk. Order PETA’s free vegan starter kit for more information and dairy-free recipes.

Order a Free Vegan Starter Kit

Help Animals in 2025: Renew Your PETA Membership!

Donate Now

Also of Interest

  • a camel in Petra
    Help Stop the Suffering of Petra’s Horses, Donkeys, Mules, and Camels
  • cute puppy
    PETA Asia Targets ‘Crush’ Video Producers
  • monkey hanging onto cage looking at camera
    Rommel Manuel
    Animals in Zoos: Condemned to a Life Behind Bars

Get PETA Updates

Sign me up for the following e-mail:
Our collection, storage, use and disclosure of personal information is guided by the Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles. More information about our privacy policies and practices is available in our privacy policy. That policy also details how you may access, seek correction of and pursue complaints regarding the personal information we hold about you. If you have any queries about these procedures or any aspect of our work, please contact us on (08) 8556 5828 or at [email protected] or write to us at PO Box 20308, World Square, Sydney NSW 2002. Current subscribers: You will continue to receive e-mails unless you explicitly opt out here.
PETA Fist Logo

Connect with PETA

  • Facebook Icon, PETA International
  • Instagram Icon, PETA International
  • Youtube Icon, PETA International

PETA International Logo

Mailing address:
PO Box 20308 World Square Sydney NSW 2002 ACN – 128209923

Info

  • Contact Us
  • Media Centre
  • Careers
  • Donate Now
  • Subscribe to E-News
  • Bequests

Services

  • Accessibility
  • Site Map
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • © 2025 PETA Australia Pty Ltd. Read our full policy.

International Sites

  • PETA US
  • PETA France
  • PETA Netherlands
  • PETA Germany
  • PETA India
  • PETA UK
  • PETA Asia
  • 亚洲善待动物组织
  • PETA Latino

PETA acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and live. We pay our respects to elders past and present and extend that respect to all other indigenous peoples.

Registered address: PETA Australia Pty Ltd, 219 Henley Beach Road, Torrensville. SA, 5031