Maria's dead calf

This morning when I went out to move the irrigation sprinkler lines Maria was mooing.  The rest of the cattle were in the western part of the middle pasture under the trees and Maria was in the eastern half closer to the middle/south pasture fence line.  It was like she was mooing for her calf.  I went and looked and then found Maria's calf laying near where Maria was standing and mooing.  The beautiful calf was dead.  It was a week under two months old.

I have no idea how the calf died.  The calf's body looked fine.  No signs of another animal attacking the calf.  Did the calf somehow eat something bad?  Did the calf's heart suddenly give out?  No idea.

I moved the irrigation pipes, caught up on my sleep and ate breakfast.  Early afternoon I went out there.  I went to dig a hole to bury the calf.  I picked one of the tree stumps I had removed as it was easier to dig there.

Maria was still mourning her calf and keeping the calf company.  So I went and picked a bunch of yarrow weeds growing in the middle pasture.  Things are drying up and so is the yarrow.  It is too late to spray them now.  So I pick them to remove the plants and seeds.  An hour or so later I was done picking for the day.  Maria started to leave.  She walked over to the south pasture to lick the salt block.  I quietly walked over to the calf and drug it to the hole I had dug.  The calf must have weighed 400 pounds as it was hard to drag, and I had to stop and take a few breaks.

Maria then noticed me and came walking back.  I was able to get the calf into the hole and started to cover it with dirt.  Maria walked to where her calf had been and sniffed and checked around.  Then she came walking the same way I had drug her calf stopping and sniffing the ground.  The calf had no blood so maybe its fur shed as I pulled it.  How else could Maria tell exactly where I had drug the calf?

I shoveled dirt fast. I had the calf mostly covered by the time Maria reached the spot I had buried the calf.  She sniffed around the dirt and then moved here and there trying to find out where the calf had gone.  With all the dirt put back I left.  Maria wandered around the pasture calling for her calf.  This evening she has stopped mooing.

So sad.

In mourning.

Calling once again for the calf to wake up.

That was the spot I had drug the calf before putting him into the hole.

Missing her calf.