Cow Runs Away From Farm To Join Herd Of Wild Bison
"One animal caught my eye. It was a completely different light-brown shade from the rest of the herd."
No one knows what was going through a cow's mind in Poland when she decided to escape from a farm last November — but one can presume she had an impulse to do something a little bit different.
She was spotted late last fall with a herd of wild bison, grazing at the edge of a forest. "It's not unusual to see bison near the Bialowieza Forest, but one animal caught my eye," Adam Zbyryt, a scientist who studies birds and the first person to see her with her new crew, said. "It was a completely different light-brown shade from the rest of the herd. Bison are chestnut or dark brown."
People believed that this cow would return to her farm once the harsh winter started — but she seems to like her new way of life. At least, that's what people are inferring after a biologist, Rafal Kowalczyk, spotted her with her bison herd this week. He suspects that her choice to stay with the wild bison has actually helped her fend off possible predators, like wolves, in the region.
While the cow is still too young to breed, some are concerned that, by fraternizing with the region's wild bison population, she could eventually contaminate the natural order with her domesticated genes.
Still, it's hard not to feel a soft spot for this adventurous cow, bonding with individuals different from her, despite the complications she could pose for the group.
And perhaps she'll start feeling chilled enough to be ready to go home before the spring thaw — or once the novelty of the wild herd wears off.