There's a fertile lush green valley in Mendocino, whose name will remain secret. Its inhabitants daily open my eyes to the whimsical, gentle and loving nature of…...pasture-grazing animals. In addition to their festive aromas wafting across my senses, I receive insights into the hidden side of their natures, experiencing (well, at least twice in the past week) epic dramas which blow my mind (and heart!).
It began last Sunday afternoon. I'm sitting outside, in 90-degree heat, reading Aurora, the latest science fiction by one of my favorite authors, Kim Stanley Robinson. It's extremely hard to concentrate, however, and the trouble, it seems, is a very LOUD and relentless bellowing in the 5-acre field next to me. Beyond a mere moo-ing, this freedom-of-expression had an insistent edge, like anguished moaning. I stood up to pinpoint its source - a large, brown, female bovine, about fifty yards away. Noticing my attention, she responds to my telepathic inquiry "what ails you, dear Nandi?" by raising her head to the sky, increasing the intensity of her howling distress to encompass totality, including the invisible new moon.
A mixture of pain, desperation, and rage, says my intuition, as I begin to freak out. I'm panicking because the day after I arrived in this ranch/vineyard/pear orchard/ganja paradise, I awoke to the sounds of a goat bleating in a similar fashion, and not knowing how to differentiate their varying cries, ignored it for a couple of hours, finally conceding to GO OVER THERE and console the poor dear, only to witness it laying on the ground, writhing in wide-eyed, death throes. I did my best, in light of no one else around, except my dog Lily, to pray for the release of its Spirit.....witnessing Death as Nature, etc.....now this cow was making me feel queasy about reliving that goaty horror.
Clearly, she's trying to communicate something vital. I watch her beeline down the field, trumpeting all the while, and run up to the other cows, who are idyllically munching grass along the scenic mountain backdrop. Then, she abruptly comes back, causing several of the ladies to jostle her between themselves on the way. My immediate thought is dehydration? I fill up a bucket with water, while several mamas and their tiny calves (so adorable! with velvet-looking fur) investigate. Our heroine, however, isn't interested, and won't let up her crazy wailing for a nonce. Was it something she ate? Where's the cow whisperer? Is she pregnant? We need a medic here stat!
Before I could make up any other scenarios, the farmer showed up. “What's the matter with her?" "She's missing her calf." Oh-oh. This sounds potentially ominous. I count six little friskers in the field, as the farmer walks farther down the pasture, with a grim look on his face. The Mama in question holds back upfield, surrounded by her sisters, waiting…..I sense their trepidation. We watch from afar as the farmer grows small, bends down in a thicket….and after a few minutes, lifts a tiny calf to its feet. It stands there, wobbly and unsure.
When the rancher returns, he explained the calf had its legs tangled in the electric fence, which, thank heavens, wasn't on. He mentions this calf is partially blind. Meanwhile, we see Mama break into a run! Suddenly the whole herd comes together as a united front, orienting their heads and bodies towards the family reunion! This reaction of group solidarity and the bounding, joyful Mama, now nuzzling her baby, provides a sob-wrenching occasion. Boy, do I feel disconnected, having misread her intention - C'MON HUMAN - I NEED YOUR HELP!!! I'll try harder to listen, it's not every day I walk among these gentle folk….(I recall the time, in Hawaii, several years ago, when a large herd of cows, including bulls, were upset with me for picking their prized bumpy lemons, and proceeded to headbutt the tree, which I had hastily climbed. I barely got away with my life…….)
Why are we so cruel? The free-range, grass-pastured animals in this spectacular valley lead a relatively sweet life, with certain delayed, yet inevitable fates…if only we'd strive to lawfully create a sweeter existence for their kind, and to depend less on our craved addiction to their flesh. Who knew? the economic manipulation of this single species is responsible for the greatest environmental devastation of our planet? Ohh, what those deeply soulful, big eyes are trying to tell us…….
To learn more, please watch the COWSPIRACY film (available on Netflix):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEk7KFMc-V4
