“One animal in particular drew my attention. It had a light-brown color that stood out from the rest of the herd.”
Nobody knows what was going through a cow’s head in Poland when she chose to flee a farm last November, but it’s safe to assume she had a strong desire to do something unusual.
She was sighted grazing at the edge of a woodland with a herd of wild bison late last October. “It’s not rare to find bison near the Bialowieza Forest,” Adam Zbyryt, a bird biologist who was the first to observe her with her new clan, said. “It was a light-brown color that stood out from the rest of the herd. Bison are either chestnut or dark brown in color.”
People expected this cow to return to her farm once the severe winter arrived, but she seemed to be enjoying her new lifestyle. At least, that’s what some are assuming when Rafal Kowalczyk, a biologist, discovered her with her bison herd this week. He believes that her decision to stay with the wild bison has actually aided her in fending off potential predators in the area, such as wolves.
While the cow is still too young to reproduce, some fear that by socializing with the region’s wild bison, she would taint the natural order with her tamed DNA.
Despite the dangers she may represent to the group, it’s difficult not to have a soft spot for this adventurous cow who bonds with people who aren’t like her.
And maybe before the spring thaw — or once the novelty of the wild herd wears off — she’ll feel relaxed enough to return home.