I’m still celebrating the publication of my first poem in the High Desert Journal and its subject matter — cows. So perhaps now is a good time to share a shaggier bovine fantasy I’ve been nursing over the last few years.
Wild Yak (public domain photo, as far as I can tell)
I often distract myself from my writing by surfing websites on yaks (Bos grunniens), dreaming about the day when I can have my own small herd.
Like many of my farming fantasies, this one will have to wait until we move permanently to our property in northeastern Oregon. As my plan unfolds, I’ll share more about domestic yaks and the fiber, milk, draft and pack work the animals provide. For now, you can learn more about the growing popularity of yak ranching at The International Yak Association.
But in this series I focus on wild, not domestic biodiversity. And contemplation of both cows and yaks has raised my awareness of wild bovines.
The largest populations of wild yaks are found in remote regions of the Himalayas and Tibetan plateau, mostly in Tibet and India. Large hearts and lungs and long hair help them thrive in high mountain environments.
One of the things that intrigues me most about yaks is that they grunt (thus the name Bos grunniens) rather than bellow (I avoid the word moo because it underestimates a cow’s vocal power and range and says nothing about a bull’s braying).
I have yet to hear a yak grunting up close. I’m sure it will call for very different rhyming and alliteration patterns than my cow poem. Meanwhile, I’ll keep surfing yak websites.
For more information on wild and domestic yaks:
Origins, Domestication and Distribution of Yak (FAO Document)
United Nations Environment Programme
One of my favorite domestic yak websites – The Yak Outback — describes the adventures of living with yaks in Maine.
Spring Brook Ranch in Montana has video files of yaks giving birth and of newborns calves. They also have audio files of yak noises.
Here’s some footage of wild yaks that includes their grunting (playing the video will take you to the Arkive page):
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