Great escapes - or not? ... cows, swine, swans, owls

.... escaping to live on ... Floss, the highland cow, escaped from her farm in Yorkshire last year – shortly before she was due to be slaughtered ... and has been given a stay of execution from the abattoir. Floss was on the run for nine months covering an estimated 60 miles as she headed south into Lincolnshire.

Floss the Highland Cow - photocredit Archant - courtesy The Daily Mail

I wonder if Floss passed through Swinefleet village, which is just outside Goole on the banks of the Ouse River, as it winds down towards the Humber estuary? The name Swinefleet amused me .. but there’s very little historical information except it had a chapel, and over the last 150 years its population has decreased by 400 souls.

A small fleet, in a creek, on the salt marshes

There must have been herds of swine feeding off the marshes, along the creek, and fleets (rivulets), from the times the early populations started to settle in small villages around the large and grand houses of the nobility.

Swinefleet village

Floss survived by living off council tips and stolen hay, eventually settling – very sensibly – on a batch of land used for paintballing. Two local women raised £500 to buy Floss from her owner and sent her to an animal sanctuary ... where she’ll live out her days. Great story .. the escaping highland cow ..

Highland cattle – collectively known as a ‘fold’

Highland cattle are an ancient breed of cattle and have been exported around the world – especially to Australia and North America; they’re known as a hardy breed due to the rugged nature of the Scottish Highlands and their ability to browse on steep hill sides.

Pigs escaping - photo credit Ross Parry – courtesy The Telegraph

These swine weren’t quite so lucky ... about 180 pigs charged down the middle of a road after their lorry overturned. Sadly they were rounded up and taken off to the Bacon Factory after all .. so their bacon was not saved.

Another unfortunate creature is a pig in the zoo in Kabul, Afghanistan, who’s been put into solitary confinement because of fears that it might spread swine ‘flu; it is being kept as a curiosity in a country where pork is illegal – for now the pig is under quarantine: usually he spends his time with goats and deer.

‘Khanzir’ was given by the Chinese government, who seem to have supplied most of the animals and fish for the zoo– it appears that the zoo is a popular place for Afghanis to visit at the weekend.

Fights in the skies .. two amazing battles – one here in the north of England: when the barn owl kept catching voles and mice, but every time the Kestrel attacked it. It was during our icy winter and food must have been scarce at night – the normal hunting time for barn owls.

Kestrel and Barn Owl – taken by Damian Waters (c/o The Saturday Times)

Two kestrel obviously thought their luck was in and the poor barn owl had to drop its prey just to escape; until the kestrel, as daytime hunters, had had enough and then the owl was able to sort its own life out! Aren’t they fantastic pictures?

In another battle of the skies here’s an eagle attacking a swan – Tom Carver from Lakelse Lake, British Columbia watched in amazement as the Bald Eagle attacked the Trumpeter Swan; in the end the swan escapes, plummets to the lake, splashes up and swims away, no doubt shaking its feathers somewhat .. the eagle has no lunch!

Trumpeter Swan and Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle is the national bird of the United States of America. It is one of the country's most recognizable symbols, and appears on most of its official seals, including the Seal of the President of the United States.

So some are fleet of foot, some are swinishly foolhardy, some are unfortunate - some are not, and some will have a happy retirement.

Dear Mr Postman – thank you for bringing us these stories .. my mother loves hearing short fun stories, especially if there’s a twist in the tale; a cousin from Vancouver Island sent us the eagle and the swan picture – and I printed them up, and we have them on the wall above the curtain pelmet.

Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters