Sadly, the Highlands this year have not coped very well during their first week at Castle Bottom. It is thought that they were brought onto the site unwell, perhaps with a mineral deficiency, or other illness/weakness. As soon as the cows were introduced to the site, one pregnant female lay down and was unable to get up. After a couple of days of monitoring her, and trying to help her stand, she was then removed from the site by her owner, to be seen by a vet. Sadly, she did not respond to medical help, and had to be put down a few days later.
A few of the other cows seemed similarly weak, and had to be rescued from the mire as they could not get out by themselves. All cows were successfully rescued from the mire, and were closely monitored for the following days. During the cattle check on Wednesday afternoon, one cow was missing, and was found dead at 7pm (many thanks to the vigilant walkers that found her and called her in). On Friday, a second cow was found dead in similar circumstances. It is still a mystery as to the cause of death of these cows. Possible causes of sudden death in cattle include magnesium deficiency and a clostridial infection.
The remaining 10 cows appear to be healthy and sticking together (with the exception of one very independent young brown calf), but will need to be closely monitored for the coming weeks. The rangers will be out looking for them as often as they can, but ask that volunteers please check them as thoroughly as possible during checks, and let us know as soon as possible if any are missing/showing signs of distress.
Kinds regards,
Ranger Natalie
