Inspired Life

Cow cuddling has become a thing for lonely hearts in the pandemic



James Higgins, who runs the Krishna Cow Sanctuary in Hawaii, cuddles with Uma. (Krishna Cow Sanctuary)

By Kellie B. Gormly
March 8, 2021 at 6:00 a.m. EST

Renee Behinfar lives alone in Scottsdale, Ariz. The pandemic has been painfully isolating for her and has left her longing for warmth and touch. ... On a recent afternoon, she finally was smothered in long-awaited hugs — by a 2,000-pound cow. ... “It was really my first real hug of the year,” said Behinfar, 43, a psychologist who sought out bovine comfort with a friend.

People are signing up to hug cows at sanctuaries across the country, many desperate for affection as the nation approaches a full year of social distancing during the pandemic.

When Sammy the cow, who was rescued from a dairy farm, laid her head in Behinfar’s lap and fell asleep, Behinfar began to cry. The pandemic, she said, has been a time of unprecedented loneliness. ... “In the end, I really didn’t want to let her go,” Behinfar said.

Behinfar brought a friend with her to Aimee’s Farm Animal Sanctuary in Queen Creek, Ariz., near Phoenix, to cuddle cows as a birthday present for the friend.

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Jeannie Whalen, 76, hugs Moothias, whom she credits with comforting her after her husband, Walter, died in May. (Tina Karalekas)

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A visitor at the Mountain Horse Farm in Upstate New York enjoys a cow-cuddling session. (Mountain Horse Farm)

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James Higgins cuddles with Tulsi. (Krishna Cow Sanctuary)

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