Wild White Cattle Welcome New Member to the Herd
The Chillingham Wild Cattle Association (CWCA) are proud to announce the arrival of a newborn wild white calf, an excellent start to the 2019 season.
The Chillingham Wild White Cattle are Northumberland’s ancient and famous herd. Unique in the world, this herd have lived in Chillingham Park for several centuries and could even date back to when Chillingham Castle was built around 800 years ago.
With over 100 in the herd, these cattle live as wild animals and receive a bit of hay to keep them going throughout the Winter. Those pregnant cows survived the Winter with good health and there were several calves during the Summer, but since mid-September, no calves were born, until this week.
Newborn Calf, neatly tucked into a sheltered spot near the edge of the park.
This was great news for all who love the Chillingham Cattle, and a great introduction to the job for Denene Crossley, Acting Cattle Warden, who is looking after the herd while her sister, Ellie Waddington, is on maternity leave. Denene was the first to see the newborn calf, and for her, was a “lovely surprise”:
“I first noticed the calf whilst I was bringing in a bale of hay for the cattle, and what a lovely surprise it was! The Beast from the East had been a real killjoy, as from January right through to May last year, no calves were conceived, so this new member was a positive start to the year in comparison to last March.
Pregnancy lasts about 9 months in cows, so we expect this calf was conceived around 30th May last year. We still do not know the gender of the calf, whether it be a baby bull or heifer (girl cow), but what we do know is that the mother is looking after it very well, keeping it warm and encouraging movement and feeding.”
“Chillingham Wild Cattle Park will open to the public on Sunday 7th April, so we are extremely excited to watch this young calf grow, and I invite all those along who wish to visit the cattle and potentially catch a glimpse of this new member of what is a very unique (and growing!) herd”, concluded Denene.
For further information and more details, please visit the website at www.chillinghamwildcattle.com.
Formed in 1939, The Chillingham Wild Cattle Association (CWCA) now has over 350 members and remains passionate about the preservation of this distinct and iconic herd, which is steeped in history and is a real Northumbrian treasure. This charitable organisation survives upon both the public interest and support. From Sunday 7th April, Chillingham Park will be open to visitors all day Monday to Friday, as well as Saturday and Sunday mornings, with tours presented by Acting Cattle Warden, Denene Crossley.
For more information, please visit www.chillinghamwildcattle.com or call 01668 215250.
