Meet the Rylstone Ten. They are one of The Thylazine Foundation's charitable projects.
This year a major drought has now affected large areas of Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales in Australia.
There has been no rain for eight months around Rylstone, a small rural community about 4 hrs drive north west of Sydney.
This has had a devastating impact on both native wildlife and domesticated animals who are either struggling for their lives or being killed by the thousands.
Throughout the dry winter months The Thylazine Foundation has supplied eleven black angus cows with good quality hay and lucern.
Notice the state of the paddocks that have now gone to dust.
Several photos are of the cows eating their last rationed hay on October 24th, 2002.
Also featured is a winter feeding from earlier this year.
It is a very pleasurable experience to witness hungry cows enjoying a good feed.
I could hardly believe it when they all started belching and groaning.
I had never seen a cow burp before!
The Rylstone cows are special.
In 2001 they were the twelve remaining cows on a defunct cattle farm signed over to myself and are now under the care of The Thylazine Foundation.
Their peaceful existance is the first step into making the world a sanctuary.
The world will be a place where no sentient being will be forced to suffer the horror transportation, slaughter and other cruelty at the hands of the barbaric Australian beef and dairy industry.
This can only be good for us as human beings.
Cows are gentle and peaceful animals. They have low resonant voices and long eye lashes. I call these cows dark angels.
They are mysterious.
They shelter from the wind but graze all night when the moon is full.
To have the privilege of being in their presence creates a sense of peace.
Their tranquility and presence will remain with me forever.
Yet as gorgeous as they are, it is a challenge to tell these cows apart by looks alone!
Their names are Molly, Emma, Caliban (steer - to the left), Millie, Amanda, Monica, Stevie, Maggie, Ruby, Rachel and Faith. (r.i.p. - Kinsella (steer), 2001).
Sadly Kinsella died of snake bite last summer.
I called a Mudgee vet to attend to him but he was too far gone. He spent his last days standing in the dam trying to cool down.
The best that the vet could do was administer large doses of pain killers and vitamins so that at least Kinsella wouldn't suffer needlessly.
I like to think of him as still part of this small herd, even if only in spirit.
Not a day goes by when he is not in my heart.
Notice the size of his brother Cailban's horns?! Best not to turn your back on him!
Sometimes these giant herbivores remind me of prehistoric or mythological creatures.
As urban dwellers we are more used to having smaller animals such dogs, cats, birds, mice and the occasional garden lizard grace our presence.
To be in such close proximity to an animal a lot larger than yourself, such as a horse, donkey or cow, is an amazing and humbling experience.
The Rylstone cows will never know what it is like to be transported to a slaughterhouse and brutally murdered. Their flesh will never be drained of blood in a supermarket refrigerator.
When I look into their big dark eyes, I find the concept of hurting an animal such as this incomprehensible. There no words left.
I am grateful that our paths have crossed and for having had this opportunity.
Pictured left is Stevie with a mouthful. She is a bit thin from the drought but she's doing okay. When we administered the hay, the cows followed closely by Caliban the steer calf, ran down the sloping land from two whole paddocks away.
They were so excited that they began frollicking and kicking up their square hindquarters so that they reminded me of big tea pots on legs.
The cows have eaten their last rations of hay a few days ago and the remaining feed has tripled in price. Many locals are hand feeding or selling what they call "stock."
The drought is said to be the worst in over forty years. The sky is full of dust as the land lifts off. The moon is ochre shrouded in air born dust particles.
The Rylstone property is haunted by hungry kangaroos. Many others are dead on the roads and Sydney's bush fires have started early.
You can see, smell, taste, hear and sense a big drought more than anything.
It has an almost tangible presence.
Yet even under these difficult circumstances, I remember the saying - "... act as of the fate of the world depended on you and pray as though it depended on god ..."
No matter how hard it becomes to exist in this world, at least for now there is a beautiful black angus cow for every month of the year at Rylstone in New South Wales, Australia. Their lovely presence on this earth is something we can all be grateful for.
Click here
to make a donation or send a cheque/money order to;
The Thylazine Foundation Pty Ltd
GPO Box 1480, Darwin, Northern Territory, 0801, Australia.
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