Langbar Loop #15: Cow Whispering or Cowmoonication?
The last cache in the series, is hidden near the edge of a large field just before the footpath coming down from Holden Gill meets West Hall Road again after leaving it back at #2.
See Langbar Loop #1 for background info on the series including a map.
To find the cache, click on the image above which will link you to a jigsaw puzzle, completion of which will reveal the coordinates - and a helpful hint.
Please note that the cache description contains an external link above to a jigsaw.
Although it is from a well-known source, it has 'not been checked by Groundspeak nor by the reviewer for possible malicious content and access to the site is therefore at your own risk'.
As I was leaving the gill-side trail heading down to the gate giving access to the cache field, I was checked out and then followed by a herd of curious Friesian heifers. After clearing the stile I moved across to the gate where the cows had clustered for some (now protected) close interaction - a bit of cow whispering!
I put my chin on the top of the gate while whispering and blowing gently towards the gathering. Eventually one of the braver beasts gradually and cautiously moved forward until making nose-to-nose contact followed by a friendly lick!
An animal whisperer has been described as someone who has studied an animal/s for so long that they know the inherent traits and actions of the animals. As a result, the person learns how to communicate with the animal/s in some way - ie. becomes an animal communicator.
It is a person who understands non-human animal behaviour better than the average person. Someone who knows what to look for and how to pick up on cues that the animal is conveying through body language and other visual and auditory cues, usually gained through extensive previous research, observation and experience.
The animal whisperer can then use the knowledge gained to let the owner of a domestic animal or pet know what the animal needs or may be experiencing, or use the information to help change the animal’s behaviour. In the cases of wild animals this 'communication' may enable the person to interact with potentially dangerous animals in extraordinary ways.
Most often, this applies to one species of animal but in some cases multiple species may be involved.
Pet psychics on the other hand are people who pretend that animals are talking to them - in some cases to take money from gullible people.
See here for a short video on 10 Amazing Animal Whisperers, including: Cesar Millan (dogs), Kevin Richardson (lions & other African wild animals), Shaun Ellis (wolves), Andre Hartman (Great White Sharks), and Spikehorn Myers (bears(.
See here for a fascinating documentary on South African Anna Breytenbach - 'The Woman Who Can Talk to Animals'.
The Horse Whisperer is a 1998 American Western drama film directed by and starring Robert Redford, based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Nicholas Evans. Redford plays a talented trainer with a remarkable gift for understanding horses, who is hired to help an injured teenager (played by Scarlett Johansson) and her horse back to health following a tragic accident. The film was released on May 15, 1998. It received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $186 million worldwide. The movie's popularity led to the word 'whisperer' being used to describe anyone with a strong affinity for a particular animal or being. See here for more info.
In the 2015 biographical feature film Steve Jobs, Apple CEO John Sculley (Jeff Daniels) has a talk with Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender) because Jobs is perceived to be difficult to communicate with, and Sculley is perceived to be a 'Steve whisperer'.
With regard to cows, see here for a 2010 news article on Cumbrian 'cow whisperer' Karen Lancaster. She found that cows have very individual personalities and that you can tell whether a cow is happy. It is all down to reading their signals. Contrary to popular belief, listening to their moos is of no help and they do not lie down when it is about to rain.
The only way to understand them is to put yourself in their position. 'Imagine that you're having to lie down for 14 hours a day at least. You don't want to be stood somewhere cold, dark and damp. Just by changing a cow's surroundings in somewhere light, clean and airy, you can radically improve their milk yield'.
In order to feel close to the herd and understand them, farmers need to do what they do. This involves lying where the cow would rest, following them and watching them closely at feeding time.
'Bullying can occur in herds, and becomes most apparent at feeding time. Other cows may be pushed away from the feed by the dominant cow. I tell farmers to ensure sure there are no narrow corridors that lead to dead ends in the areas where the cattle roam. Sometimes a subordinate cow feels trapped between the dead end and the dominant cow. This really affects them - they may be domesticated now, but they are essential prey animals which must have escape routes'
Farmers from across Lancashire and Cumbria regularly attend her group sessions where they gather at one farm and learn different techniques. 'She gave some really good advice on how to read the signals from our cows. 'When the cows are happy, we know they eat more, when they eat more they make more milk'.
But unfortunately, a happy cow does not mean less gas production.
