Wild Cows

Have you ever seen a wild cow? This weekend I visited my grandparent’s farm in the extremely small town of Platte, South Dakota. They raise cattle. On Saturday, I followed my 82 year old grandpa around the cattle yards. He drove his four-wheeler and I drove the mule (the motorized vehicle, not the animal). The cows were used to him driving up close to their pens, but they were wary of me. They instinctively sensed my unpredictability. I am so unpredictable that I went around a second time alone singing to the cows. I don’t think they favored “Tonight, We Are Young;” although, it could have been my voice or my bright blue sweater that was scaring them. 

Were cows so anxious when they were wild? Apparently, farms nearby to my grandparent’s farm, are brining in mules (this time I’m referring to the animal) to protect the cows and lamas to protect the sheep. Now I’m wondering about wild sheep? What are wild sheep like? I digress….

Now back to the wild cows. Cattle type cows need to be protected, milk cows need to be protected…. I don’t know any other kinds of cows. My specificity isn’t important. The point is, why are there no wild cows roaming the plains like buffalo and wild horses and wild boars. I think we need to preserve the wild cow. We’re already preserving the mountain lion, like the one that howls outside my grandparent’s house every so often. I’m not saying that we should have less cattle farming, I love meat! I just want to see a natural wild cow roaming free and being its crazy wild self. Like when you go to Roosevelt national park and are stopped in your cars whilst buffalo roam all around you just to roll in the dirt on the other side of the road.