麻豆影视

Skip to main content

Cow cuddling: Why a Newfoundland farm is offering quality time with these 'gentle creatures'

Share

Chloe is a working dairy Guernsey cow. A gentle giant, according to her keepers.

She weighs about 1,200 pounds. So when she sits, she tends to stay sat down for a while: Making her an excellent cuddler.

Chloe is a rising star at Lester鈥檚 Farm Chalet in St. John鈥檚, N.L., one of the latest farms to jump into the viral cow-cuddling trend sweeping farms across the continent.

鈥淪he鈥檚 probably one of the kinder cows I鈥檝e met,鈥 said Sophia Vallis, who has been working with the farm this summer. 鈥淪he鈥檚 super kind, super gentle.鈥

Jim Lester鈥檚 farm hopped on the cuddling trend in early August, and his time slots have been pretty well sold out ever since.

For $20, you can get 20 minutes with the animals, all overseen by staff. Visitors can feed, groom, and maybe even lie beside the cattle.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e really amazed by a cow鈥檚 demeanor, and just being around these big, gentle creatures,鈥 he said. 鈥淲hat a feeling it gives them, a sense of relaxation.鈥

It鈥檚 a small business boost for the farm 鈥 it certainly gets more people in through the doors 鈥 but Lester also said it鈥檚 nice to see people reconnect with nature, and animals, in a novel way.

Jim Lester鈥檚 family has owned and operated farms in the Brookfield Road area of St. John鈥檚, N.L., for generations. (Garrett Barry, 麻豆影视)

鈥淚鈥檓 a big believer that people have to get their hands dirty, get their hands back in the soil and experience the positive side of agriculture,鈥 he said.

Jim and his family have been farming in St. John鈥檚 for generations. His relatives operate the Lester鈥檚 Farm Market with a focus on vegetable sales on a neighbouring lot.

And cows, Lester believes, are a great way to reconnect with the earth.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e probably a bit underappreciated for what they can offer for the human soul,鈥 he said. 鈥淐ows are one of the older domesticated livestock species. 鈥 They鈥檝e been around humans a long time.鈥

Each of their cattle has a different personality. In the few weeks since they鈥檝e seen increased traffic, Chloe seems to be thriving, Vallis said.

鈥淧eople come and they are floored that they can just get to sit down and crouch down with the cows, let alone like, lean up against them鈥 she said.

Chloe and the other cows get a bit of a kick-back for their efforts.

鈥淎 lot of our cows here are very used to people,鈥 she added. 鈥淭hey enjoy being with people, and they really love the treats. The treats are their favourite part.鈥

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

Stay Connected