Lounging amid the grassy hills of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, you will find 3 somewhat unexpected animals, given the name of the sanctuary…our hardworking cows! These ladies help to keep the fire load in check by grazing on the grasses around the sanctuary and are valued members of our sanctuary family.
So this blog is about the cows! I was taking care of the cattle a few weeks ago and felt inspired to bring the camera along so that we could share some new photos with you all of these lovely ladies. They are a little bit of everything…sometimes spicy, sometimes sweet, and if you’re Betsy, always at least a little bit mischievous!
Betsy is a “the grass is greener on the other side” kind of gal, who has been known to use her smarts to let herself and her herd graze on grasses beyond their designated pastures by unlatching the gate and seeing themselves out. We adapted quickly, and now have more secure gates with clips that even Betsy can’t open! Our beloved Betsy is a softy too, I always give her hugs while she eats her meal and she doesn’t seem to mind one bit. She also enjoys licking us.
She is very food motivated too…just look at the face she makes when she sees her grain arrive!
Betsy
Honey is the sassiest of the three cows, often giving some intense side-eye if you look like you might be thinking about touching her. She does allow head scratches at times, which is always a special occasion! She enjoys food, with hay pellets being her favorite part of any meal. She is Meredith’s mom, and a good friend to Betsy. She is the lightest in color of the three cows, and a very pretty lady!
Honey
Meredith is right between Betsy and Honey in terms of coloring. She is light brown, but not as light as Honey. We have provided a lot of specialized care for Meredith over the past year as she has dealt with arthritis and had a procedure to provide her with some pain relief, which included a somewhat lengthy recovery time separate from her herd. She is doing well currently, still dealing with her arthritis but able to be with her herd and enjoy the different summer pastures we are able to move them between. She is a sweet lady, who enjoys being brushed and getting scratches, and gets a regular serving of applesauce with her medications which she seems to really enjoy!
Meredith
Meredith
Silly close up of a Betsy nose boop!
Betsy licks Honey
Betsy licks Meredith (there are plenty of Betsy licks to go around!)
