From a distance they look so placid and approachable, but you would not want to get on the wrong side of the wild white cattle of Chillingham, one of the rarest animals in the world.
“They are formidable creatures,” says the warden, Ellie Waddington. “If they are cornered, they will defend themselves. Obviously we think of cattle as being big, lumbering, docile animals that we have in fields today … but these guys are a completely different beast.”
The cattle are very different to what you would see on a farm. For one thing, they are ghostly white with beautiful mottled faces. They are nimble, short, stocky with big muscles in their shoulders and chests, and they have wonderful horns akin to fancy-dress Viking headgear.
The herd lives in 150 hectares (380 acres) of idyllic north Northumberland countryside, and they are remarkable survivors of the ancient cattle that once roamed Britain’s forests.
This year, there are about 130 cattle, so they are far more rare than mountain gorillas or pandas. They live as wild animals and are not handled by anyone or treated by vets. The only way to see them is by taking a tour organised by a charity that manages the park and conserves the landscape. Those tours begin this year on 3 April.
Quite why the cattle were brought to what was a deer park in Northumberland, perhaps 700 years ago, is unclear. But here they remain. Waddington says the wild cattle are some of the most inbred animals in the world. They have had no human interference for centuries and have not been subject to the breeding processes that other cattle have gone through to improve meat or dairy output.
“These guys are incredibly inbred,” she says. “It is kind of a marvel that they’re still here and standing because realistically, when you look at animals that do inbreed over a long period of time, they become infertile and they die out.”
It can be a tough life. “They have been breeding for survival so the bulls will fight for dominance. It’s the biggest, strongest bulls that win those fights and pass on their genes. If there is a calf that’s weak and isn’t able to make it then it dies. It is survival of the fittest.”
The cattle live in smaller subherds with dominant bulls. When a younger bull challenges, there can be a full-on fight, although rarely to the death. “Most of the time one bull backs down. It would have to be an incredibly stubborn animal that would carry on until it was dead.”
Generally, the cattle could not care less about human observers, and the biggest danger might be from a mother that has calved for the first time and will be hyper-alert to possible threats. “There are certainly animals I would take you a little close to and others I wouldn’t,” says Waddington.
The cattle are important as a scientific marvel – Charles Darwin was a fascinated visitor – but also important because of their magic and mystery.
No one knows for sure why they are here. Were they brought over by the Vikings or Romans? Are they part of Celtic folklore that talks about the Irish goddess Brigid being raised on the milk of a white cow?
It is known that the wild cattle were once hunted and that is one reason they are still here, says Waddington. “We wouldn’t be able to look at them today if they weren’t a hunted animal. It was a bit of a novelty because there was nowhere else where you could hunt wild white cattle.”
Waddington, whose husband and sister are also wardens, has understandably developed a real affection for the wild white cattle.
“They are very relaxing, very soothing,” she says. “But then I’ve always found cattle quite relaxing. I’ve just come back off maternity leave and when I was giving birth I had a playlist of cattle sounds because I find them so relaxing.”
Chillingham cattle were not on the playlist but perhaps they should be recorded. “They make a wonderful noise,” Waddington says. “The bulls make a wonderful loud hooting bellow to compete with the other bulls and show how big and strong they are.”
The charity-organised tours begin on 3 April and run to October.
