SPOTLIGHT - Cows

Growing up, we're taught cows are farm animals that provide us with things like beef, leather, and milk products, but as a Vegetarian adult I realise tat they are sentient beings with some pretty interesting traits. Today's post will be spotlighting cows and some of the most interesting and fabulous things about these gigantic, peaceful animals.

COWS ARE SOCIAL
Much like people, cows are extremely social animals. They are known to communicate with specific cows and avoid others in their community. In fact, they are known to be fond of between 2 - 4 cows they enjoy spending their time with and can hold a grudge for years. They are naturally fond of large herds and are also fond of sleeping with one another close by. Their sleeping arrangements are determined by hierarchy in the herd. 

COWS ARE GENTLE ANIMALS
It's no surprise that cows are often seen as gentle animals. Very little aggravates them and they often are weary but fond of humans in most cases. One of the few times a cow will get angry or aggressive is when their babies are involved. In the dairy industry, babies are torn away from their mothers almost immediately after being born and if you've seen the videos, mother cows can get quite aggressive. In fact, other cows will come to the defence of a mother cow  whose babies are being taken away. 

COWS REQUIRE A LOT OF RESOURCES
Naturally, a cow can eat up to 40 pounds of food per day and over 30 - 50 gallons of water. When you think about what it takes to keep a cow fed and satisfied, one can imagine that the meat industry uses a substantial amount of our resources just to feed / hydrate them. In fact, if the world turned away from factory farmed meat, we'd save an abundance of resources that we could essentially use to feed / hydrate the homeless.

A Mother's Love

As I mentioned before, mother cows are extremely protective of their babies. A mother cow carries her offspring for 9 months just like we do which creates a special bond with her young. Mother cows have been know to get quite aggressive when their babies are being taken away and will cry out for weeks afterwards. This is why the meat / dairy industries are so saddening. Mother cows are repeatedly impregnated only to have their babies ripped away from them which causes them an abundance of emotional stress and turmoil.

Can you imagine having your babies taken away from you every single time you gave birth? It would wear you down I'm sure.

OTHER FUN FACTS

- Cows are red / green colour blind which implies that bulls don't actually get angry over the colour red. It's the waving of the flag that gets them fired up.

- Cows knees don't bend in a manner that will allow them to go down a flight of stairs although they'd have no problem going up.

-Cows like music. If you've ever seen the videos online, they are fond of music and often will rally around the source of noise together.

-Cows can hear low/high frequencies better than us and also have a pretty amazing sense of smell.

​- Cows get excited when they solve problems. For example, when discovering how to access their food, cows get extremely stimulated and are known to jump around in excitement.

Knowing what amazing mother's these beautiful animals are and how they are much like us in their desire to form friendships and bonds, I'm super content in not eating meat. I've reduced my dairy intake since being in Ireland and I truly intend to go fully vegan in the next couple of years. These gentle giants are manipulated and taken advantage of in the meat / dairy industries and I really don't want any part of it. The more we choose to learn about these animals often thought of as products versus living beings, the easier it is to turn away from industries that take advantage of them.

HAPPY VEG

Some info taken from
http://www.dairymoos.com/interesting-facts-about-cows/
https://www.thatsfarming.com/news/18-fun-facts-about-cows
http://mentalfloss.com/article/550594/facts-about-cows