Then and now: owner Lynda Smith hand-raised Blossom from when she was three days old to when she died at 28. PHOTOS/SUPPLIED
GIANINA SCHWANECKE
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It’s not often you’ll hear someone say “lovely” and “old cow” in the same breath and mean it quite literally.
But that’s exactly what Clareville resident Lynda Smith had to say about her 28-year-old bovine pet named Blossom who died last week.
“She was a lovely old cow,” Smith said. “She had a lovely nature.”
Just shy of ‘flirty thirty’, Blossom was considerably mature for a common cow.
Most cattle destined for dairy, breeding or slaughter live considerably shorter lives but the average natural life expectancy of a cow is estimated to be from 18 to 22 years.
The oldest recorded living cow, Big Bertha of Ireland, died just three months shy of her 49th birthday.
Smith hand-raised Blossom from when she was just three days old, after being given the unwanted calf by a neighbouring farmer.
In addition to grazing on the one-hectare lifestyle block, Blossom was often fed leftover bread from Smith’s job as a baker.
Blossom also got a bucket of apples each day, as well as other delights like peaches and feijoas when they were in season.
“I don’t know if that’s why she lived so long,” Smith said.
Never dehorned, and once mistaken for a bull, Blossom never had any calves of her own.
Smith said she was broken-hearted when she made the decision to put her down after speaking with a vet team, whom she also thanked for their great care and for cremating Blossom.
“She had really bad arthritis in her joints and was struggling to get up and down.”
Several other Clareville residents said they would miss Blossom, with Adele Pentony-Graham adding she was “loved by all”.
Smith planned to plant a blossom tree where she was buried in memoriam.
