This is the 3^rd BIO event I have attended, and the 1^st where 2 pigs and a calf have attended as well. Not that they aren't welcome to attend - BIO is open to one and all - but the animals just don't seem to make the trip. Apart from some obvious logistical problems animals and biotech can be a touchy subject.
The calf looked like much like the cattle that roam around my own pasture every summer, but this was pretty special. It was a healthy looking prion protein-knockout cow produced by BioDak in South Dakota. In the next pen over were 2 genetically engineered young pigs from Revivicor. Genetically engineered animals can be used to produce antibodies for vaccine, bred to produce less methane in their waste, or in transplants.
Here is a quick explanation of the animal GE displays at BIO: