Bambi and the cows
by Patricia Grotenhuis, Lifelong farmer and agricultural advocate
Farmers see some strange things on their farms. Sometimes things will happen that are completely unexpected – yet absolutely beautiful reminding us, first-hand, what nature can do.
One day, while I was at university studying agricultural science, I got a call from my mom at home on our farm. The call wasn’t unusual - but the story she was about to tell me certainly was.
One day, while out checking the beef cattle, they noticed a young fawn in the same pasture as the cattle. Over the next few days, my family noticed the fawn was always within sight of the cattle – but never too close. They never saw a doe, and were wondering who was caring for this little fawn.
As the fawn became accustomed to their presence, it moved closer and closer to the cattle. There were times when my family would even see the fawn nursing off of one of the cows. All of the cows had adopted “Bambi”, as we took to calling her, and were ensuring she had everything she needed.
As the fall drew closer, we began to wonder about what would happen when we brought the cattle home to the barn for winter. One day, after several trips from field to barn with the truck and trailer, all of the cows and their calves came home to the main farm so they would have shelter for the winter. What was unusual was that those cows bawled for those first few days, the same way they would if they were separated from their calf. Within a day or two, Bambi appeared in the fields around the barns, and the cows went quiet. It seems that they were missing her.
All of the special care our beef cows had given her turned her into a nice, healthy little doe. Seeing us caring for the cattle every day made Bambi quite tame…we couldn’t touch her, but she’d tolerate our being nearby. We wondered if the return of spring would bring with it the departure of Bambi. Instead, it just brought Bambi back across the road to the farm where the beef cattle are pastured. By now, our neighbours had heard the story, and several had been out at one time or another to witness the beauty of nature.
Bambi stayed with the cattle for several years, moving back and forth across the road as the cows did.
One day, she disappeared, never to be seen again. We hope that she found some wild deer to join - although we know there are other sadder possibilities to explain her absence. We never knew cattle would adopt a little fawn, or how long that same fawn, once she grew into a doe, would stay close to them. I guess it is just nature’s way of taking care of all animals, and showing us what it means to care for someone or something, regardless of the circumstances.
Posted by FFC on May 19th, 2011 :: Filed under Animal care,Beef cattle,Family vs factory farming,Farm life,Uncategorized,Wildlife,winter
Tags :: animal care, beef, cattle, Farmers, wildlife
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