Scientists have only just begun to scratch the surface of animal cognition, yet their discoveries already compel us to look at animals with new eyes and, perhaps, to rethink the dominion our species exercises over most of them. The study of animal intelligence is often characterised by the discovery — sometimes a bitter one — that other species have desires and feelings analogous to our own. For obvious reasons, we tend to underestimate the fact that the animals we eat also have a great deal in common with us. There are stories that remind us that the barrier we habitually erect between ourselves and other animals is nothing more than a mental construct. Such is the case of two brave cows who, recently, conveyed a message as simple as it is revolutionary: they want to live.

Dropping everything to go and live with the bison

In November of last year, a young Limousin cow escaped from her barn on a farm on the border between Poland and Belarus, and joined a herd of European bison (Bison bonasus) living in Białowieża Forest, the oldest lowland forest in Europe. After the first sighting, made in November by ornithologist Adam Zbyryt, it was thought that the cow would be unable to endure the Polish winter and would soon return to her barn. But the cow had no intention of going back, and evidently the bison make good company and the call of the forest was too strong. The animal was spotted again alongside the bison herd towards the end of January. Experts believe that, although she is unlikely to integrate well into the herd, the presence of the bison has protected the cow from wolf attacks. The cow could, however, pose a threat to the bison themselves: any mating could produce hybrids that would contaminate the genetic heritage of Białowieża's vulnerable bison population. The runaway cow's fate is therefore to be captured before spring — provided they can catch her.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OClmZZsDZaI https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=sRudUWG7e7A&has_verified=1

The incredible escape of Hermien

By now Hermien should already be dead: her fate was to be slaughtered and turned into steaks before last Christmas. But Hermien, a three-year-old Limousin cow, and the calf Zus had absolutely no desire to die, and just before being loaded onto the lorry that would have taken them to the abattoir, they managed to escape. The calf was soon caught, but the cow succeeded in going to ground, vanishing into the woods of eastern Netherlands. Since then Hermien has been living in the forest and has managed to evade every attempt to capture her. Hermien's story touched the hearts of many Dutch people, including Pieter van Vollenhoven, son-in-law of former Queen Beatrix, and the Dutch animal rights party raised almost 50,000 euros in just a few hours through a crowdfunding campaign to ensure that, once caught, the cow would be spared and could spend the rest of her days in a sanctuary. Hermien's courage was duly rewarded and no lorry will ever take her to the abattoir again — De Leemweg sanctuary awaits her, where she will be reunited with Zus, who has also been spared, provided they manage to flush her out of the woods where she has taken refuge and from which she emerges only at night.

The rebel cows of Liguria

These stories call to mind that of the herd of rebel cows that has been living in the woods around Mele and Masone, in the Ligurian hinterland, since 2011. The cows — also Limousin, a curious coincidence — after spending years living in the wild to keep the land clear and prevent fires, were supposed to be rounded up and slaughtered. But, thanks to the skills they had rediscovered through years of wild life, they managed to evade their pursuers and to this day live free and wild in the Ligurian forests. The stories of these animals captivate us: they represent the redemption of the underdog and stir in us a kind of identification. Yet it is natural to ask why these episodes are capable of striking our imagination and public opinion so forcefully, while the fate of the millions of animals led to the abattoir every single day leaves us completely indifferent.