We are used to members of the ever-increasing Urban Herd making themselves at home in our suburbs. These ones are chewing the cud on a pavement next to an outside garden shed.
A cow and her newborn calf take advantage of an unmown grass verge.
These cows are in the street behind our home.
There are an increasing number of donkeys roaming the town too. This donkey and her foal can be seen next to a school sports field.
Now we have goats added to the mix. This is only part of a herd of large, sleek goats seen roaming the suburbs a few days ago.
They look very at home!
Something Over Tea 
Goats are fab. I often think how our green spaces would benefit from more animals rolling around,alas I write this from the land of *cut down Mulberry and other trees ‘cos what a mess* and *pulling a tractor around in Feb./March to ostensibly cut grass but really to shred its roots and kick up sand*
Count your blessings Anne💖
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I cannot tell where you are from, Catrìona, but I am all for encouraging trees (my garden has become a forest over three decades) and nurturing the natural environment. The goats don’t really bother me – this is but another chapter in the ‘ruralisation’ process of our town 🙂
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Thanks Anne😊 I enjoy waking up to your Haikuesque stories! Regards Catríona
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And what about “cutting hedges”, which is a euphemism for tearing them to shreds so they look worse than they did before.
My stepfather had a farm on the Cheshire/ Wales border. He would have gone doolally at seeing the mess these hedge cutters make of the hedges. Yes, cutting by hand was labour intensive, and the machines have speeded it up and made for fewer people needed (is that a good thing?) But in my opinion they go too fast so instead of cutting they tear.
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A fascinating collection. I thought the foreground cow in the first picture had been splashed with milk.
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The hide patterns on these animals give rise to their particular names given to them by their owners. The cow you mention falls into the group of patterns associated with plants – in this case most likely sugar beans.
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All these freely wandering animals remind me a bit of Derrick’s New Forest area where he takes so many photos. Have you seen any wandering pigs yet?
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It really won’t surprise me if I do 🙂 🙂
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I love the idea of large herbivores in suburbia!
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The main issue we have with these animals that roam unsupervised through the suburbs is the danger they pose for pedestrians and drivers: late yesterday evening a cow stood in the middle of the main road into town while suckling her calf. Fortunately drivers put on their hazard lights to warn those behind them of the danger as there was no way she was going to move.
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I can see that that is a problem.
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Presuming the owners are aware of what their livestock is up to, does anyone come to ’round up’ these urban interlopers?
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I imagine they are only ’rounded up’ when their owners wish to count them, sell them or eat them.
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And to think that we here have only memories of “where the antelope play” and the “buffalo roam!”
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Now I wouldn’t mind a few antelope and buffalo coming into town 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Around here, goats often are used to clear brush from land. Property that includes them can be recognized by the fact that all the trees have been grazed up to the highest point the goats can reach. Flat-bottomed trees are quite a sight; it will be interesting to see how the roaming goats affect the plants in the area.
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The Urban Herd (cattle) as I call them have already put paid to any gardens outside of the property walls … the goats will probably finish off the aloes and succulents that remain.
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Reminds of New Forest, where blogging friend Derrick Knight lives.
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You are right 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Yes, absolutely. I love seeing the ponies, cattle and donkeys there.
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I see we had the same thought! 🙂
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Great minds think alike.
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We get the cow herds in our orchard and the occasional goat on our roads, but the coyote packs are not kind to the goats or the foals.
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Packs of coyotes sounds ominous indeed.
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Aan die begin het ek gehou van die rondloop-koeie in die dorp. Dit het soos platteland gevoel. Totdat hulle in ons tuin ingestap het, al wat blommetjie afgevreet het, sagte vetplante gekou het. Hier waar ek is, bou mens moeilik tuin. Veral blommetjies. Nou ja… nou moet hekke toe.
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Ek verstaan hoe jy hieroor voel – my hekke is ook nou altyd toe.
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🐄🐐
✨🦋🐍🕊🐉🗝⚖🕯🤍⚛🎐🎋🙏✨
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Anne, ek weet nie of hulle julle pla nie, maar ek dink dis amazing!
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Hulle is die gesig van die nuwe Suid-Afrika en ons moet dit maar aanvaar. Ek hou nogal van die beeste en die donkies. Die eintlik gevaar is vir voetgangers en motoriste. Die inwoners hou hulle hekke toe en probeer nie meer om tuine buite maak nie.
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Goodness, a veritable urban farm! Chickens, geese and ducks next??
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I have seen geese elsewhere in town and I occasionally hear a cock crowing – so we are not far off 🙂
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The photos of the young animals with their mothers are very sweet. These urban herds are still a remarkable sight to my eyes.
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While the change of government allows for this encroachment of domestic animals into the suburbs and taking over what used to be parks – and even to invade the cemeteries – we have taken a while to get used to it. I have come to enjoy seeing cattle and even donkeys. Goats can be aggressive though, which makes for an unhappy relationship with pedestrians especially.
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Oh my goodness… it’s getting crowded there!
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It sure is!
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This is an odd thought, but I grew up on a farm with cows, where there were the inevitable cowpies…..but does anyone from the township clean up after these animals or is it just considered natural fertilizer! Here if you take your dog for a walk on a lease, you have to poop and scoop – it’s the law in an urban area. The babies are cute!
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Natural fertilizer is the short answer for the cows, although I have seen some neighbours collect the cow pats for their gardens. One is supposed to clean up after one’s dogs here too … I have seen the law enforced in towns other than the one I live in, but then they don’t have to contend with cows, donkeys and goats!
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Many places in India have wandering animals like cows and goats, not in herds though, but none blocking our way, or the traffic, where I stay!
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Only this morning I smiled at a herd of oxen being chased down our High Street where they had been disrupting the traffic 🙂
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