He’s hoping they “steer” clear of his beautiful bovines.
A fed-up UK farmer has pledged to breed uglier cows to curb the relentless tide of influencers lining up to snap selfies and generally harass his handsome Highland Cattle.
“The intention is to make them less photogenic,” Alex Birch, from Derbyshire, told the BBC of his plan to de-beautify his bovines.
The 39-year-old cattle farmer said he’d observed a concerning uptick in gawkers flocking to his farm in Baslow Edge to film viral videos of his animals, which are known as “floofy” due to their thick, shaggy fur, The Telegraph reported.
“My cows don’t get any peace,” lamented the Brit, who’s witnessed people hugging his tufty charges, taking selfies and even pulling their tails in a bid to create viral content.
Birch recalled seeing “someone filming a yoga video next to them” and even discovered bags of veggies that oglers used to feed his cows. He also had to intervene when group of 30 tourists cornered his herd with flashing cameras so they could upload the pics to social media.
Despite reporting TikTok videos of his critters, which he claims encourage other click-seekers to follow suit, the platform allegedly never took them down.
To stop the intrusive photo-ops, the cattleman has decided to remove his cows’ good looks by crossing them with the whitebred shorthorn, which he described as a “good, hardy cow” that’s “not photogenic” and doesn’t have horns.
“If I had my way I would ban the people,” said Birch. “But the people won’t go away, so I need to remove what’s attracting them to the cattle.” Breeding out the beauty would take about six years, he said.
His grandfather David Thorp, was not thrilled with the idea given that the cattle had been in the family ever since he introduced them to the area in the 1970s.
“My granddad still wants me to have the Highland cattle, which we breed for meat,” said Birch, who said he’s not taking the decision “lightly.”
However, the throngs of cattle paparazzi are more than just a nuisance — they’re a liability. One Highland harasser claimed that one of Birch’s creatures tried to attack his dog when it allegedly trying to defend its calves.
And while Birch was allowed to keep his cattle on his 300-acre land, he worries that he could be subject to legal action if a tourist is injured.
“They are highly unpredictable creatures,” he said. “They are like donkeys, they can kick hard. If you upset one you will regret it – you will never outrun it.”
In fact, the Peak District National Park Authority warned against hugging or otherwise interacting with the animals due to the risk of being “trampled, charged, or attacked,” especially when cows have young.
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