Death of a little white bull

The beautiful white cows eagerly made their way to the river bank as I walked along the opposite side of the river. I had found one very like the youngster on the right a few minutes earlier, lying dead in the water.

What happened to the young one?

I cannot tell for sure when it died; but from the absence of any sign of decomposition it is very recent.


Why did it die?

The river is not deep enough for a drowning. Perhaps it was ill, and found the most comforting place to be in its last moments. The herd seem to be asking how it happened.

I drove round the valley to the farm building when I returned to the car from my rain soaked walk. I knocked on the door of the house by the farm buildings. A young woman told me the farmer came from Long Rollright and might not be around at all today. She did not offer a name or address, but she said she would let him know about the calf when she saw him.


I decided to contact the Environment Agency. They were not very interested. Since it was newly dead it would not be a pollution problem. Since it was not blocking the flow of the river it would not be a flood problem. They spoke to the local authority who said it wasn't their problem either.

They said they would attempt to find the farmer and ask him to remove it.

I asked them to let me know when they have spoken to him.