Episode 19 - The secret life of cows
Hush! The cow is thinking! It is a deep and profound task, not to be taken lightly, never to be hurried. If you try to rush a cow’s thoughtful deliberations, you will never discover the true nature of these elegant and wise beasts. Simply put, there’s an amazing Cow World out there that most of us could never imagine.
It was a beautiful spring day, a glorious sun-filled break in the never ending drudgery of dripping rain and chilled fingers. Big Fat Momma, our Hereford/Angus cow, was looking at me intensely as I approached with the morning apple treats. As Patches and Millie ecstatically chomped their juicy treats, Big Fat Momma shot out of the gate like a racehorse, running straight up the hill into the woods. I looked at her through narrowed eyes; if my hunch was correct, it was baby time for her! The thick green forest had closed around her by the time the other two munchers raised their heads and wondered aloud at the disappearance of Big Fat Momma.
Those two big cows were inconsolable. They ran around the barnyard, sniffing and bawling in ever insistent blasts of “Mooooooo, where are Yoooooooo?” In desperation, they turned towards the forest, searching and calling with fierce intensity. After an hour of this anxious behavior, a sudden silence fell upon the land. I knew they had found their friend.
Something important was happening in Cow World, and I wanted to see the cause of all this commotion for myself. With buckets of warm water and grain loaded onto the ATV, I sped up the hill. Creeping quietly through the bush, I came across the most lovely scene imaginable. Big Fat Momma must have chosen her special place some time before, because no happenstance could have produced such a perfect birthing area. It was a small cleared circle surrounded by a dense perimeter of newly budded bushes. I could barely see a limp brown bundle lying in the centre being carefully licked by his mother. Patches and Millie were also inside this precious circle, standing slightly back, reverently bearing witness to the new life. The three cows made a protective barrier with their bodies around the vulnerable calf. When I positioned the two buckets nearby, they all looked at me, but none left the circle of life.
By late afternoon, only the two “Auntie” cows appeared in the barnyard for their dinner treats, and then they departed quickly, trotting briskly back up the hill. Just as I was getting worried and contemplating putting up my tent in the bush to scare off critters, out of the dusk came a wonderful sight. First came Big Fat Momma, slowly and carefully guiding her newborn down the hill. Then came Patches and Millie as the rear guard. They were effectively providing complete protection for the little calf making such a big journey, but it was clear he was tired and not able to go much further. A new camp was made in a wood copse about 200 feet from the barnyard entrance. Big Fat Momma and her baby hid well away, but Patches and Millie stood and bawled for me until I came running with more water and grain. Then they stood guard through the night. My little herd of cows was operating as a fully functioning, thinking, feeling co-operative unit!
The next morning saw a triumphant procession into the barnyard, three cows carefully introducing their new baby to the strange creatures walking on two legs. We mirrored their excitement and pride, cross species communication reaching across the divide with respect and love. Give your cow a hug today, they’re amazing!
