This Oregon steer dodged the slaughterhouse. Now Romeo’s a world record-holder

In the quiet pastures of Welcome Home Animal Sanctuary in Creswell, a gentle giant named Romeo captures every heart he meets.

At 6 feet 4.5 inches, the 6-year-old Holstein breed claimed the Guinness World Records title as the tallest living steer. Guinness announced Romeo’s achievement on Wednesday, confirming his 3-inch advantage over the previous record-holder, Tommy.

But Romeo’s story started when he was 10 days old, fated to become veal at a dairy farm.

Steers, or castrated male bovines, are considered waste products in the dairy industry, sanctuary co-founder Misty Moore said. The sanctuary provided a refuge for Romeo and his brother Milo. The duo has been inseparable ever since, often seen lounging together on sunny days in Creswell.

“With open arms and boundless love, we welcomed him into our sanctuary. From the beginning he was a survivor, and we could tell that he was longing for a fulfilled life,” Moore told Guinness World Records.

Thursday morning, friends and family gathered at the sanctuary to celebrate the record-breaking steer and to give him his official certificate. Creswell Mayor Dave Stram and City Manager Michelle Amberg attended the event.

“Romeo is so much more than just his height,” Moore said. “He’s got this remarkable story of survival; everybody falls in love with him.”

A white stripe that runs down Romeo’s side earned him the nickname “Number One” far before he received his award.

“Romeo’s amazing. We knew that all along, but now everybody gets to know that and that’s pretty special,” Moore said at the ceremony.

After Moore spoke, visitors fed Romeo bananas — one of his favorite snacks — and watched him gobble them up with ease.

Romeo’s mornings start slow. He is social with his steer buddies — five other rescues at the sanctuary — unless it begins to sprinkle, in which case he spends the rest of his day under a wooden shelter. Then, it’s time for Romeo to have lunch. Each day, he eats 100 pounds of hay and 15 pounds of grain and drinks a bathtub of water.

It takes money and effort to care for an animal as large as Romeo.

Welcome Home Animal Sanctuary has operated for seven years and is home to 79 animals. Moore has a day job as an elementary school librarian, so a team of about a dozen volunteers and an on-site caretaker look after the animals when she isn’t there.

While Romeo reached his full-size years ago, the sanctuary has to get creative with his long-term care plan. Veterinarian Lauren Furrer treats him on-site, and the sanctuary has purchased a large stock trailer in case Romeo needs to go to the hospital—the closest one being in Corvallis.

“There isn’t much information out there about full-grown steers since males don’t get to live that long in the cattle industry,” Furrer said at Thursday’s event.

Even at healthy weights, larger animals experience increased strain on their joints and hearts. Furrer estimated Romeo weighs 3,500 pounds, a remarkable figure even among rodeo bulls, which typically weigh between 2,200 and 2,400 pounds.

Fortunately, Romeo is healthy and sticking around at the sanctuary. Moore hopes to write a children’s book about Romeo and for people to learn about his survival story.

“He’s part of the family here,” Moore said.

Visitors can meet Romeo on a Welcome Walk offered 12:30-1:30 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 25 for a suggested donation of $5 at Welcome Home Animal Sanctuary, 82940 Hurlburt Lane in Creswell.

— Riya Sharma covers Here is Oregon feature stories. Reach her at rsharma@oregonian.com or 503-294-5996