Cows’ moo-ving tale inspires book
They shot to fame around the world overnight, the most unlikely of heroes: three cows stranded by the Kaikoura earthquake.
Images of the cows atop a small platform of paddock surrounded by ruptures turned them into internet sensations.
They are now set to make headlines again, forever etched into the history of November’s quake, through a children’s book.
Moo and Moo and the Little Calf too tells the tale of the stranded cows from the iconic photograph which set the world alight in the days following the quake.
The author is none other than the cows’ owner, Jane Millton, and the book is her first foray into the world of children’s literature.
The story captures the plight and rescue of the cows, and summarises the magnitude of the earthquake in a way children can understand.
The rest of the world knew of the stranded cows before the Millton’s family, who having suffered enormous devastation to much of their Clarence farm, were not in a position to watch the news or access the internet.
It was only when they received a call from the media bringing the cows’ situation to their attention that they discovered they had made international headlines.
‘‘Of course we knew there were helicopters everywhere, but it was only when the media called [my husband] to tell him about the cows that we were alerted,’’ Millton said.
Her husband Derrick helped the story with his now-famous quote, ‘‘You’re a clever cow to skip and dance while the land beneath you is disappearing down the hill’’.
Millton said once the cows had been helped down from their pillar of earth, work began on reinstating all the lost fences, forging new access tracks and generally working tirelessly to manage the aftermath of the earthquake, which had decimated their land.
‘‘Through all those sleepless nights I started jotting down a little ditty about these cows,’’ she said.
‘‘I was just scribbling things down on a bit of paper in the night, it was quite good therapy in a way.
‘‘But then the media contacted a publisher, who contacted us with a story . . . when the draft came through I thought ‘I’ve already done this, and they’re our cows, and our property’.’’
So she sent her story back to the publishers, who were overjoyed with it.