24. Nov, 2014

Meadow Muffins

In the fields surrounding our home for waifs and strays, you can easily find dollops of cowpats. As children, we used to stand in the centre of these hot, fresh green moulds (with our wellingtons on of course!) and enjoy the squelchy mess it made. Bliss! But it was many years later that I learned of the benefits of these gooey green, meadow muffin cow-cakes.

     Despite their vulgar habits of farting and burping (which contribute to our greenhouse gases, due to the amount of methane released) the gooey green substance that cows frequently drop from their rear ends, are welcome by the dung beetle! These incredible tiny creatures are on a mission to save the world. By breaking down the dung these soldier beetles are indeed reducing the amount of methane released into the atmosphere. Well done beetles!

      The Maasai people burn cow dung inside their homes to repel mosquitoes. They also use the dung to cover and seal their homes. And in rural India and Pakistan the methane rich gas is used as a renewable and stable source of electricity. But the wonder of the cow and its dung doesn’t end there. The Hindus believe that each cow contains 33 million gods and goddesses.

      So, to all you cows out there, fart and burp as much as you like, it appears that the world needs you!