SASKATOON – Even though the world’s oldest cow is dead, you can still find her grazing the pastures of Blackwater, Ireland.
There was no funeral for the cow that made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for living to the age of 49. She wasn’t ground up into dog food or buried in a piano crate. Big Bertha was stuffed.
Owner Jerome O’Leary had the taxidermist come out to the farm and carry her off to be “done up.” Then he’s going to place Bertha in her favorite spot, out in the fields of Killarney.
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One of the reasons a 49-year-old cow is rare is that lifespan is tied to usefulness, said Gerald Hauer, a large animal vet in Leduc, Alta.
“Usually what happens is that as cows get older they become less productive and they get culled from the herd. The farmer sells them for slaughter before they actually die of old age. Not too many cows die of old age.”
O’Leary realizes most farmers have their older cows slaughtered, “but their cows get old … Bertha was always active.”
She produced milk and offspring until she was 43 years old. By the time she died Bertha had brought 39 calves into the world, another Guinness record.
“She was a real pet. She was too good to put her down.”
O’Leary acquired Bertha when she was two years old, back in the war days. Money was hard to come by, but he managed to find the $14 he needed to buy her.
He attributes her longevity in part to her breeding. She was a Drumen, one of the last of the breed.
Hauer said vet care definitely plays a role in the length of a cow’s life, but it’s more likely to be a combination of things like proper care, proper diet and just plain genetics.
The average age of a cow is about 10 years, Hauer added. The oldest cow he has worked on was 20, which is what he considers to be the outside limit. Health problems often play a role, including things like loss of teeth.
“(Bertha) had no teeth at all for 10 years. She was able to eat without the teeth,” said O’Leary.
There was no special diet for Bertha who simply grazed in the rough land of Ireland. There was no special treatment either. She lived her whole life outside with the rest of the cows, and was only inside for shows.
“She was travelling around to shows when she got too old. She was making money for cancer. She raised £66,000 ($130,066) for cancer,” said O’Leary.
But her real contribution to O’Leary was the offspring she left behind. He has three of them in his own herd, the oldest being Bessie who is 39. But he doesn’t think Bessie will give Bertha a run for the record.
