Ben Madilynn
No need to cow-er, these cows are cuddly!
The pastures at Lester’s Farm Chalet are open for snuggling as the St. John’s-based farm takes part in a trend sweeping North America.
“If you’re looking for something interesting and really unique to do, I think cow cuddling would probably be the top one you could do around here now,” Jim Lester, owner of Lester’s Farm Chalet, told CBC News in a recent interview.
Similar to equestrian therapy, cow cuddling can help people relax.
“Cows are really interesting animals,” said Lester. “Just like a horse, a cow can pick up how you’re feeling, and most times they’ll try to come over and relax you and make you feel a little bit better,” Lester said.
For animal lovers, cow cuddling is the latest addition to their summer bucket lists. Tickets for the activity sold out quickly.
“It’s been quite popular,” Lester said. “There are people who drive immense distances to be able to hang out in the pastures with cows.”
Lester said most of his cows are social, but the farm specifically picked its friendliest cows for the activity.
Participants will start by hanging out with the calves, then will spend time with the adult cows, followed by a private tour of the farm, with more cuddle opportunities.
“Cows are pretty social animals, and just like humans, there are some that are more social than others,” he said. “They love a little scratch and little treats.
“They can go into the petting barn and look at the baby pigs and, the other animals that are in there. Our newborn colt is real full of personality, very small horse with big personality.”
Lester cuddled Chloe the cow when talking to CBC News.
“Chloe’s a Guernsey cow. I would suspect that she’s probably one of the only Guernsey cows on the Avalon and maybe on the island,” he said. “She’s quite content hearing me laying up against her.”
His greatest cow-cuddling tip is to let the cows come to you.
“They’ll kind of come right up to you unless they’re lying down like Chloe here. You can just walk over slowly, and if you have a little bit of a treat or something like that, she’d probably like that,” Lester said.
Tickets for August are sold out, but Lester said cow cuddling will continue until the temperatures start to dip heading into the winter.
“We have intentions to do it as long as the weather is conducive to a great experience. That could be right up until the end of October,” Lester said. “There’s a little bit of solitude in the country.”
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