GCR adopts English Longhorn as College Pet
The GCR has announced a new Christ Church college pet: an English Longhorn newly named Eeva.
The cow, currently wintering in Binsey, west Oxford, will come to Christ Church Meadow in the summer months to graze with the herd.
We chose her out of three unnamed ones for her bright fur and due to the distinctive shape of her horns.
She is currently five years old and will be around for a while!
As you can see she is a real beauty and it was lovely to see the Longhorns so happy when the committee visited the breeder.
Animal welfare was a top priority when considering the project.
Charlie, the breeder, explained that during the later summer months, the cows graze on the south part of the meadows so that the grass on the north part can be harvested and dried for them to munch on during the winter months!
This is not only very healthy for the cows, but it is also a great example for Christ Church's sustainability efforts.
A competition was held among GCR members to name the cow, and the winning entry was Eeva, after Dr Eeva John (née Lehtonen), the first female Junior Member at Christ Church who was admitted to the House in 1979 as a Senior Scholar for post-graduate study.
