Mother Cow Tries To Protect Newborn Baby By Hiding Her From Farmer

Clarabelle, a former dairy cow who carries the unfortunate memories of having her babies being taken away from her by a farmer, decided to do something about the situation by hiding her newborn calf so she could keep her baby with her.

The sad but amazing discovery was made by persons at the Australian farm sanctuary, Edgar’s Mission, who had rescued the dairy cow hours before her scheduled slaughter.

They noticed that Clarabelle, whose pregnancy was discovered after her rescue, was acting a bit strange a week before her due date – eating less, keeping a distance, and being wary of those around her. Then, after further examination, it was discovered that the cow had secretly given birth to a calf, and in fear of losing her baby, carefully hid it in a tall patch of grass, camouflaged by fallen logs.

Cows are apparently known in the animal world for their strong maternal instincts. The Dodo reports of a similar case recounted by veterinarian Dr. Holly Cheever; whereby a pregnant cow, knowing of her impending fate, gave birth to twins then hid one calf and brought the next one to the farmer. Unfortunately, after noticing her low milk production, the farmer found the baby hidden away in the pasture and took it away from its mother.

Thankfully, Clarabelle and her baby Valentine have a better fate in store, and the young calf will not come to know what so many mother cows have grown to fear.

Finding Valentine from Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary on Vimeo.

[Image: Edgar’s Mission/The Dodo]