Every once in a while, we had an animal that would be called “the wild heifer” or “the wild dry cow.” Their behavior stood out enough that they didn’t need any other form of identification. Whether we had to put a milker on them or bring them in from the pasture, we knew it was going to be a battle.
There was a time when actual wild cattle, called aurochs, once roamed the earth, eventually leading to the 1,000-plus breeds of dairy and beef cattle found around the world. However, in 1627, when the last auroch died in what is now Poland, the reign of wild cattle had ended.
Sort of.
While there are various feral herds from New Mexico to India that have recently descended from domesticated cattle, there is still one cattle breed considered entirely wild.
It is widely believed that the Chilingham cattle breed has been untamed for at least 700 years. Chillingham Castle was built in Northumberland, in the northeastern part of England, in the 13th century. Naturally, estates with a castle had a lot of acres connected to them, and sometimes a portion of this land was dedicated as a game park. Sometimes these preserves had cattle on them, if only for decoration or amusement. Sometimes these areas, as large as they were, became enclosed with stone walls, particularly to keep out Scottish marauders. At one point, perhaps in the 13th century, cattle were enclosed in Chillingham Park and left to fend for themselves. The earliest records of these resilient animals date to 1645, and since then, they have become a scientific marvel.
As of 2022, the herd numbers 138 animals, with an equal portion of bulls and cows. They graze 130 acres of woods and scrubland. The Chillingham cattle breed almost became extinct during the harsh winter of 1947 when it was down to five bulls and eight cows. Although they are now fed hay at various locations, they are otherwise left without intervention. Having been isolated for so many years, they are genetically pure, with no evidence of crossbreeding. They have a white coat and red ears, with a body type more “primitive” than breeds that have been developed through husbandry. It was once thought that they were direct descendants of aurochs, but they are now considered likely to have been domesticated medieval animals.
Chillingham cattle have captivated the interests of scientists for several reasons. Being the only untamed breed of bovines, researchers can study them to learn about cattle’s natural behavior before being influenced by humans. For example, while bulls have a simple pecking order of dominance when in the presence of each other, the relationship structure of cows is more complex. It has been hypothesized that mother-daughter “pairing” may underpin the whole herd organization in negotiating their contact.
Perhaps even more of a marvel is how the herd has been able to survive centuries of inbreeding and remain healthy. It appears that all bad traits (lethal recessive genes) have been genetically purged from the herd through aggressive natural selection. In other words, animals born with deformities did not have the chance to be bred and pass on those traits. Being such a rare circumstance, scientists are basing this hypothesis on studies conducted with mice, as analogous situations are hard to find in nature. Each year, one animal is culled and subjected to a posthumous examination.
Although the Chillingham cattle breed has already been around for potentially seven centuries, their survival is anything but taken for granted. Being practically genetically identical, there is fear that a single disease can wipe out the herd. Like domesticated bovines, if any of the Chillingham cattle contracted tuberculosis, they would all have to be exterminated. Such a small group is also more vulnerable to natural phenomena, whether another bad winter, an inopportune lightning strike or some other unforeseen incident. To help ensure the survival of the breed, a “reserve herd” of 20 animals was kept in a secret location now known to be in northeast Scotland.
In 1939, the Chillingham Wild Cattle Association was formed to protect what they call “one of the rarest animals on earth” and an “icon of British natural history.” Although the cattle are wild, they still have to carry their weight financially. Visitors can book a guided walking tour of the park to search out some of the famed cattle, as well as enjoy the castle nearby. There are even special packages for photographers looking to capture these symbolic beasts. Not surprisingly, Chillingham cattle attract visitors from all over the world, drawing them to a rural corner of England. Of all the links to our distant past we have, perhaps none is more unique, and peculiar, than a small herd of white cattle.
