Cattle can sleep standing up and lying down often with eyes open. However, they don't experience REM sleep due to evolutionary pressures – herbivores are eaten by carnivores. (They can experience REM when sleeping lying down) This means that they must always be on the defense – day and night.
The January full moon was called the “Wolf moon” because of the sounds the wolves made while hunting at night outside of the Native American villages.
A few weeks ago, I was startled by a loud joyous chorus of voices coming from the woods behind my home. The source of the sounds puzzled me at first, then I realized that they were from coyotes likely pursuing an unlucky deer. Suddenly, the sounds ended – the coyotes are probably eating well during this particularly hard winter. For more information on wolves and caribou, read Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat.
I remember the lecture a Quebec wildlife veterinarian delivered at a Maine Veterinary Medical Association meeting in the mid 1970's. He explained that the wolves were critical in maintaining the health of the caribou herds. Every day the wolves gave the caribou a “physical exam” which resulted in the elimination of the weak and sick caribou. The wolves also kept the caribou moving thus preventing overgrazing and reducing the ingestion of parasites within their range.
During a routine farm chore one summer day, Eugene Andrews, along with his two grown sons and the farm dog, went into the cow pasture to drive a freshening (about to give birth) heifer into the barn. Eugene never saw the young Jersey bull coming up behind him. Knocked to the ground, he told me that he didn't think that he could last long as the bull crushed his chest against the ground. Alden, Scott, and Skeeter, a Border collie, were able to drive the bull away in time to save Eugene. The bull was just protecting his cows.
The final point of consideration before entering a cow pasture is that not all breeds of cattle are docile. Herefords have an easy going temperament, but Texas Longhorns can be very excitable.
These docile Hereford are resting at a farm in West Gardiner at the intersection of High street and Hinkly road. Remember that they are not so docile when they have calves with them. One year on this road there were 3 calves and a horse diagnosed with rabies on different farms.