Cow Gone Wild

(Rafal Kowalczykny photo via NY Post)

A Polish cow abandons her barn to roam with wild bison:

The cow "chose freedom" by running away from a farm late last autumn, and has been seen lingering on the fringes of a herd of some 50 bison in the forest on the Belarusian border, Poland's TVN24 news portal reports....

Dr Kowalczyk told TVN24 that this is the first time he has seen a cow join a bison herd. "She is not very integrated with the group, as bison act like one organism and she stands out." He added that the herd had probably saved her from the wolves that prowl the edges of the Bialowieza Forest through the winter.

There's increasing risk to both the cow and the herd the longer she stays. If she mates, giving birth to a large hybrid calf could kill her. And if the bison population's gene pool is contaminated, the bison could be endangered.

Yes, the situation is un-stable.