Holy cow! A giant, 1-ton Holstein steer who loves to eat bread and romps like a puppy at a Northern California zoo is vying for the title of world’s tallest bovine.
His name is Danniel and he measures 6 feet, 4 inches from the hoof to the withers, a smidge taller than the current record-holder, the Eureka Times Standard reported Wednesday.
A veterinarian and his keepers at the Sequoia Park Zoo in the city of Eureka measured Danniel on Tuesday to confirm his height, but Guinness World Records has yet to verify it.
According to the Guinness website, the tallest bovine ever was Blosom, a cow from Orangeville, Illinois, that measured 6 feet, 2 inches. Blosom died last year at age 13.
Danniel is a gentle giant who loves hay and bread and trots over to whoever calls his name, owner Ann Farley said.
“He’s a handful to keep pinned, but he’s part of the family,” Farley said.
He lives at the zoo after the Farleys inherited him from their late aunt, who owned a farm. They are looking to find Danniel a permanent home.
Caring for the giant steer can be a challenge, said Amanda Auston of the Sequoia Park Zoo, adding that Danniel eats about 50 pounds of hay every day and produces up to 150 pounds of dung a day.
“It’s a small enclosure, so we have to pick it up all the time,” she said. “I would like him to have more room to wander around and graze and do some more natural behavior.”
In this Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016 photo, Lucinda Smith and animal care supervisor Amanda Auston, right, tend to Danniel, a giant Holstein steer, at the Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka, Calif. (Shaun Walker/The Times-Standard via AP)
In this Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016 photo, co-owner Ken Farley of Ferndale, Calif., and animal care supervisor Amanda Auston tend to Danniel, a giant Holstein steer, at the Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka, Calif. (Shaun Walker/The Times-Standard via AP)
In this Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016 photo, Danniel, a giant Holstein steer, is measured by veterinarian Dr. Kevin Silver as co-owner Ken Farley helps feed him alfalfa at the Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka, Calif. (Shaun Walker/The Times-Standard via AP)
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
A he is a Bull, a she is a cow LOL!
THANKS FOR THE CORRECTION! hahahahaha
I do not spot any teats on her??
He’s neither; he’s a steer.
I think HE is a SHE…possibly a heifer. Somebody needs a lesson in anatomy. If this a steer, he is missing more than his oysters!
He’s not a “bull” He’s a STEER. Meaning he’s been castrated.
This must be a beast of the female persuasion. You see, under the belly there is no urinator to be see. This makes it either a cow or a heifer. Did the animal have a whizzer under the belly it would be either a bull or a steer, depending on if he were physically complete or not
You’re right. I didn’t look that close before. I wonder why they said it was a steer? Even the name could go either way. I think the reporter made a mistake in identifying it as a steer. Certainly the zoo would know what sex it is.
He needs to be out on open range with other cows and bulls.
Reminds me of the Paul Bunyan story.
It is referred to as a steer in the opening sentence. Therefore, he is not an intact male — meaning he has been castrated — and I guess he is just a pet. Very expensive pet if you have to purchase that much hay for him. Glad I don’t have to feed him, I don’t think we could put up enough hay for him to eat during the winter. High maintenance.
Find a home, let’s have a bar-b-q!!!
You have your choice of Cow, Steer(Castrated male) or maybe it’s a transgender. It could probably use the latrine of choice. Whatever…..
With that much BS they could sure use him in Washington. LOL
In actual fact, some of you are perfectly correct, the animal in question is FEMALE! I suspect that most folk who are not associated with animals and farming in general, are likely to be ignorant in determining the difference between male and femal animals at a casual glance. The headline in the article got it right – but I’m amazed that the cow’s carers didn’t specify or correct the reporting of the animal….with a name like Danniel? Mike Randall is perfectly correct, the animal does NOT have a “wizzle” on it’s belly – therefore it must be a female Holstein. The fact that one cannot observe any teats, would be due to the fact that (a) the photographs haven’t been taken at the required angle and (b) being an un-mated cow, her udder hasn’t developed!
I’m more disturbed by the off-handed remark that Danniel loses more weight each day than she intakes! Eats= 50 lb, defecates= 150 lbs! She’s dropping 100 pounds a day! Can’t last much longer at that rate. Let’s see: current weight= 2000 lbs, minus 100 lbs per day, equals 20 days left to live!
Poor thing! And all anyone cares about is what sexual orientation she subscribes to! tsk tsk