With her big, curious eyes, Ada, the Hungarian Simmental calf born over Easter, is gazing at the world. Ella, the two-year-old cow who was also born at our Zoo, has become a mother for the first time, but she is caring for Ada as if she were an experienced parent.
Some may remember when, two years ago, we announced the birth of little Ella, and last year we shared the news that our elderly cow Bimbó, who had raised 11 calves, was retiring to a nice home. Back then, we said that Ella would take over from her mother, becoming Budapest’s favourite cow at the Farmyard (Majorság), regularly delighting visitors with her calves. What we planned has now become a reality, as Ella gave birth to her first calf just a few days ago.
The newcomer is a little girl, a heifer calf, and her name is Ada. She was given this name partly because we plan to name Ella’s future calves in alphabetical order (so the next calf can expect a name starting with B), and partly because one of the keepers loves orchids. It’s worth noting that Ada is not just a female name but also the name of a genus of orchids.
The Hungarian Simmental (“magyartarka”) cattle is a breed developed in Hungary, and we consider it important to showcase this breed because many of our visitors are city dwellers who now find livestock almost as exotic as wild animals. We’ve even met children who didn’t know that milk doesn’t come from a carton. That’s why, two years ago, with Bimbó—Ella’s mother and Ada’s grandmother—we made a video explaining the secrets of milking.
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