Chillingham Cattle

tetrapod said:
* Heard the bulls roaring, both while we were in the field and as we were leaving. Eerily, hairs on the back of the neck stuff.
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I've heard that too, in other Park cattle as well. I think its called' hooting'- a very strange noise and generally used as a challenge/terrotorial advert I think.
 
tetrapod said:
Thought I would bump this thread as I finally got up to Northumberland for the 'summer' family holiday - side note 1 : I cannot recommend Northumberland enough as a destination. Lovely and quiet. But don't be expecting wall-to-wall sunshine.

Anyway I had known a bit about the Chillingham cattle since I was very young, and lived half way around the planet, so I was very interested to finally see them. Basically as others have mentioned there is a steep walk through several fields to get to the ranger station (very disease-conscious; no sign of TB in local badgers/livestock currently). You get up to half an hour in the enclosed area on foot with the ranger. Most of the info is the usual stuff trotted out. However what I took out of it:
* They are such small cattle. Reinforces my point that they aren't a remnant Aurochs which were huge, but an early feral cattle. Maybe Roman (given the large presence in the region, it's possible).
* They are all effective clones and inbreeding doesn't seem to be causing any deleterious effect on their health. They drop a single calf each with no problems. Cannot remember how many cattle at Chillingham (80?) but it's not big.
* Scottish sub population is a secret location, to prevent against losing entire herd.
* Nearby castle doesn't have any current links to cattle, but obviously there is quite alot of history together along with paintings and stuffed heads of the cattle. Side note 2 : saw another Chillingham cattle head on the weekend closer to home at Avebury manor!
* Heard the bulls roaring, both while we were in the field and as we were leaving. Eerily, hairs on the back of the neck stuff.
Conclusion - it isn't a zoo, and the visit is for half an hour. But as a piece of natural history evoking a time when the island was cloked in woodland, lovely and cannot be beaten.
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I loved my day there (when I was on zoochat as TriDV) and I'm glad you enjoyed time in the NE.
 
TriUK said:
I loved my day there (when I was on zoochat as TriDV) and I'm glad you enjoyed time in the NE.
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We really enjoyed our time up there. Spent half our time at Hadrian's Wall and the other by the coast. Could have stayed longer!
 
Pertinax said:
I've heard that too, in other Park cattle as well. I think its called' hooting'- a very strange noise and generally used as a challenge/terrotorial advert I think.
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We saw 3 males (which are easy to pick as they are grey with mud) roaring towards a herd with one annoyed bull! The setting in a wooded valley really lends a certain wildness that is hard to find in England.
 
tetrapod said:
We saw 3 males (which are easy to pick as they are grey with mud) roaring towards a herd with one annoyed bull! The setting in a wooded valley really lends a certain wildness that is hard to find in England.
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Its certainly a unique experience and setting to see these animals in. More particularly as I am not sure if any of the other four herds of 'wild' White cattle are still in existence, at least in their ancestral parks anymore. Of course the Chillinghams can claim greater antiquity anyway.

I have also seen a bull of the domestic-type White Park Cattle very fired up and 'hooting' at another herd of cattle containing an Aberdeen Angus-type bull passing their field along a woodland path to their downland grazing- both bulls were extremely fired up and pawing the ground and calling etc, the din was tremendous. So this behaviour still exists in domestic cattle- its just that you don't often see two bulls(with cows) in proximity like that.
 
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