Due to their natural instincts, there are a number of actions that you might have to take in a sanctuary environment that can make a cow less comfortable. Here are a few of their instincts and how they may react to a disruption:
Daily Habits: Cows find a lot of comfort in daily routines, and can become annoyed or afraid if their routine is disrupted, so be extra gentle and allow extra time if you’re asking a cow to do something they aren’t used to doing like going to a new pasture or barn. Cows can also be annoyed by seeing something they’ve never seen before, like balloons or even flapping paper, so be wary when conducting novel activities around cows.
Flight Zone: Like most herd animals, cows have a flight zone. This is the area of personal space surrounding them where they feel safe and comfortable. Different cows will have different sized flight zones, especially depending upon whether they’ve come from traumatic backgrounds; a skittish cow might have a huge flight zone compared to the nearly non-existent flight zone of a docile resident. If you breach a cow’s flight zone, they will likely walk away from you. If you go much more into their flight zone, they might bolt or display signs of fear or agitation that you need to respect in order to prevent a dangerous scenario.
Hearing: Cows are very sensitive to high pitched and loud noises, which are typically used as sounds of distress among themselves. Being yelled at, hearing barking dogs, or encountering loud noises can spook, agitate, and trigger flight and charge responses in wary cows. Try to be very cautious with volume around cows and keep bucking dogs away from them to prevent incidents.
Herding: Cows prefer to naturally herd together to shelter from the elements and protect themselves from predators. It’s likely that a cow might get depressed, lonely, or highly anxious if separated from the herd. If you do need to separate a cow, move them slowly and quietly, limit their alone time, and keep their herd nearby.
Maternal Instincts: If you’re caring for a mother cow with a calf, they will be rightfully protective of their young. Provide ample space for the mother and calf, never going between the two of them. If for some reason you need to separate the mother and calf, such as for a health examination, be very gentle in separating the two of them, and anticipate quite a bit of displeasure from the mother.
Sight: Cows do not have the best eyes when it comes to depth perception and lighting. Therefore, they might be afraid or agitated to be corralled into spaces that they cannot spatially discern very well or when transitioning from a very bright to a very dark space. They can also be afraid of confusing color patterns and high contrast imagery. Give them extra time to adjust to the new lighting and surroundings, avoiding quick movements around them. A cow will stand still and lower their head in order to appropriately gauge depth perception.
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