Calling Temple Grandin


It was strange enough to see a cow wandering alone, well after dark, down the main street of Deqin. But when it walked up to a butcher shop, I really started paying attention.

Not much was open at 10 PM, but the lights were on in the shop and you could still see the displays of meat on hooks. Most butcher shops in China have meat out in the open, unrefrigerated. But here in this Tibetan town, people go one step further and hang the meat outside the shop to make sure you can't miss it.

This cow certainly knew where she was going. She walked straight up to a hanging carcass that was mostly stripped of skin, but had a dangling cow's tail. She put her nose right up to the tip of the tail and started sniffing. To say that the cow looked intent may be going too far, but she was certainly persistent. After several sniffs, she stuck out her tongue and gave the dead tail a lick.

Immediately, her head arched back, she lowered her shoulders and bellowed. I have never heard a sound so loud from a cow. It was hard not to consider her extreme reaction as a show of grief; was this the body of a friend? a sibling? a parent?

I have heard stories about elephants recognizing the skulls of dead relatives, caressing them with their trunks, and shedding tears. I guess I just never expected as much from a cow.

Posted: Mon - May 10, 2004 at 11:04 PM    

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