bull at Triplicane; Ankole Cow and ... immaculate cow !!!

Of the many cattle freely roaming in the streets of Triplicane, this particular bull attracted me, especially for its long horns.  It looks old though !

Ancient rock paintings and depictions of different cows have been observed in various regions – and among them is Ankole-Watusi cows of  Sahara region.  There is a breed called the Sanga that spread to the Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and other parts of eastern Africa, becoming the base stock of many of the indigenous African breeds. The Ankole-Watusi, also known as Ankole longhorn, is a breed of cattle originally native to Africa. It is known for its large, distinctive horns, that can reach up to 8 feet (2.4 m) from tip to tip, are used for defense and cooling by blood vesseled honeycombs. Here is a picture of an Ankole cow circulating on the Facebook – may be subject to copyright – maker not known !

The cow’s gestation period is approx 9 months and they generally give birth to a single calf.  Here is an interesting story of a cow shocking farm workers by giving birth - despite apparently having never met a bull

MailOnline reports that Hariet, the cow has lived a life of celibacy since she moved to Pinewood Nurseries in Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire. Her owner Liz Robinson was left stunned when the Dexter cow suddenly went into labour and gave birth to calf Petal.

Liz Robinson, from Pinewood Nurseries in Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, said she was shocked by the birth Ms Robinson, 30, said workers are calling Petal the 'moo-siah', adding: 'We had absolutely no idea Harriet was pregnant until she woke us up in labour. 'She didn't look any different to the others - just another fat cow. We have never bred cows at the nursery so we don't have any bulls. 'We weren't told Harriet was pregnant when we bought her so when Petal arrived we were all stumped.'

Ms Robinson has owned Pinewood with her husband, Tom, and her sister Maria Jackson, both 33, for just over ten years. They have been rearing Dexter cows for meat in their farm shop for four years but have never bred their own, instead they buy them in from a livestock supplier. As a result they have never needed a stud on the farm and were shocked when Harriet woke them up with labour noises in the middle of the night.

Fortunately for Petal - named after the flowers grown at the nursery - she is not destined to be sold in the farm shop. Her surprise appearance on December 8 2014, eight months after Harriet had arrived at Pinewood with six other cows.  A clue on the calf's appearance may lie in the fact that the typical gestation period for a cow is around nine months.  Ms Robinson says Harriet is the only one of six cows brought in last summer to have given birth.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

17^th Feb 2015.