Rare Miniature Panda Cow Born on New Year's Eve

Stories have popped up everywhere across the Internet about the little Panda Cow that was born in Colorado on New Year's Eve, 2010. He is one of only 24 like this in the world. You can read one of these stories here on ReporterHerald.com.

The miniature cow's name is Ben, and he belongs to Chris and Pam Jessen of Campion, Colorado. They also have miniature donkeys and a wallaby. This little panda-colored cow is a product of 44 years of genetic engineering by a gentleman named Richard Gradwohl of Covington, Washington. He is considered the prevailing authority on miniature cattle in the United States. You can visit his website here.

Panda Cows can sell for as much as $30,000, and Chris Jessen says that he will probably sell Ben. Miniature Panda cows are purchased as pets or show animals, but miniature cattle in general are being developed for other reasons, as well. Dana Boden lays out the many advantages of miniature cattle in an article that you can read here. Miniature cattle are easier to handle than larger cattle, which can be quite intimidating! According to Ms. Boden, regular mini-cattle will cost at least a thousand dollars a head.

Although they are common in petting zoos and on gentleman farms, miniature cattle, usually less than 42 inches at the hip, are being used as a more economical and eco-friendly type of dairy and beef cattle. Richard and Arlene Gradwohl tell us that you can plan on two miniature cows per acre instead of 2 per five acre tract of land. They are the keepers of the records for miniature cattle at Happy Mountain Farm in Covington, Washington, near Seattle.

There are little cows in Tennessee, too, in case you want to see some. You can make a trip to the Memphis zoo and see some cute little miniature cows in the "Once Upon a Farm" attraction. They are from a farm in Columbia, Tennessee. Their names are Cloudy and Darwinia. Here is a story about them on the Knox News Website.