Mama Cow Gets Motorist’s Attention In Order To Help Her Save Her Newborn Calf

Mar 08, 2021 by apost team

Meet Flo. She is a gorgeous cow that calls a farm in Millbrook, Ontario, home. Flo has everything a cow could ask for. Green grazing pastures, clean air and cool ponds surround her.

Flo also shares her paradise with several other cows and their newborn calves. In fact, Flo was pregnant, but back in 2018, on the day she gave birth, tragedy struck.

She went into labor in a precarious position. Flo was situated on a downward slope that led to an electric fence that encircled the enclosure. When she delivered her new calf, it slid down the bank and under the charged barrier. It was separated from its family but tried to return to them. Unfortunately, the electric fence did not allow it to pass. The young calf stayed near its mother, on the wrong side of the fence. Flo became increasingly desperate because she could not reach her child to nurse it and welcome it to the herd, and neither could her child reach her.

It was at about this time when a man named Dave passed by. A herd of cows from the same herd was in the field, cooling off in the pond. He stopped his vehicle to get out and record them, reports Yahoo! News. He hadn't yet seen anything suspicious or alarming — he was just somebody out and about who saw something nice he wanted to record. After he had gotten some footage of the cows playing and enjoying the day, he looked over and noticed a distressed Flo.

She seemed upset, but he didn't understand why.

Dave was no farmer, according to Yahoo! News. He had never learned anything about how cows communicated or behaved. He certainly didn't know anything special about their care. As such, it took him a few precious moments to realize that something might be going on.

Dave set his camera down and wondered what could have made the cow so angry. He knew that cows didn't usually act this way. She was stomping the dirt and making a lot of noise. Flo turned to look at Dave. It felt as though she was trying to say something to him. She was constantly mooing, looking at him, at the fence and back at him. There was a certain urgency to her calls that made him vaguely think of a cry for help, but he didn't really get what the cow was trying to get across. At first, he only watched. Despite not knowing a lot about cows, he did know that they could be dangerous if agitated.

Although rare, domesticated cows can still cause injuries or even death under certain circumstances. The UK's Health and Safety Executive, for example, noted in 2015 that, on average, 4-5 people per year die due to "cattle incidents" in the UK, with significantly more receiving injuries. While most of the injuries are incurred by farmworkers and helpers, according to some British researchers, about 24% of all reported deaths since 2000 are random members of the public. These unfortunate people usually cross into the path of a cow while out walking, hiking or near the animal paddocks.

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All it takes is one unfortunate or careless moment to have a cow, or even several, stampeding toward you.
Dave knew he had to be careful around a cow that showed signs of agitation. However, when other herd members wandered over and looked at what all the commotion was about, he decided to get closer to find out what she needed. That's when he saw it.

Dave noticed that her newborn calf was lying in the grass just a few feet away from the electric fence. A light bulb went off in his head. He realized that Flo must be the calf's mother and worried for her young. He only wondered if Flo was crying for help or telling him to steer clear of her calf. Regardless, Dave decided that something should be done.

The calf needed to nurse, plus it was dangerously close to the road. He needed to figure out how to get the baby back under the fence. There was no gate in sight. What could be done?
He decided to try and push the calf back under the fence. To do so, he would have to lift the electric wires high enough for the calf to fit under. It appeared that the baby wanted to cooperate. As he pushed it under the fence, Dave worried that Flo would be upset by his actions. As the cow kept close to her calf from the other side of the fence, Dave would be well within easy reach should she decide to become aggressive.

The electric fence would also not hold back a determined mother. However, Flo luckily seemed to understand what was going on. Even when Dave touched her newborn, she did not react aggressively.

Dave knew that contact with the fence would be inevitable. He continued pushing it underneath the wires. The calf was being shocked in the process, and so was he. He hoped it wouldn't cry out in alarm or pain before he finished. Something like that would have certainly alarmed Flo and might have caused her to stomp towards him. He didn't want to face off a panicking mother cow!

Finally, the calf was joyously reunited with its mother! They smelled one another and strolled into the open field to join the rest of the herd.

According to Yahoo! News, Dave decided to go speak with the farmer and his wife. They had no idea what had happened. He joined the farmers as the calf was tagged and treated. The baby received a once-over and was completely healthy.

He continued to record Flo and her calf as they rejoined the other cows. They returned to Dave and gave him a sniff. It was as if they were saying thank you. Soon after, the calf began to nurse contently. It may have taken a minute for Dave to realize what was happening, but when he did it was apparent that Flo was troubled. She understood that Dave could help her save the baby. Her ability to communicate with him was astonishing.

Animals have a stronger ability to communicate than we know. They can be extremely intelligent and emotional. Flo was the perfect example of this. It is easy to see how much love she had for her new baby.

Were you as amazed by this article as we were? Then feel free to spread the love amongst your friends! Don't forget to let us know how Flo being reunited with her baby made you feel.