Blanca Helps Counter Cruelty

Blanca is a bull. She’s a stocky-wocky baby bull. Baby bulls are known as calves. Blanca has two little horns and a tiny tail that she loves to swish away annoying flies with. Blanca is a brainy little bull. Even though she’s young, she’s already very intelligent. Blanca also loves to bellow (that’s the sound that bulls make). Her bellow is only just beginning but one day when she’s grown up it will be a really loud ROOOOOOAAAARRR!

Blanca lives in a herd with lots of other calves and the rest of her family. Their home is on a big ranch in the country. They spend their days there munching peacefully on the grass in the fields. There’s a big fence around the ranch so the bulls can’t wander off. But there’s plenty of space so they’re all very happy.

One spring day, Blanca and her mum are chomping on some flowers along with the grass. There are lots of beautiful blooms in the meadows at this time of year. As she chews her food, she looks over and notices two humans heading towards a group of adult bulls. Both humans are holding staffs.

As they approach the bulls, the animals start snorting and pawing their feet across the ground. They bend their horned heads down closer to the ground. They seem very agitated. The humans continue to move nearer. Suddenly, one of the bulls charges forward towards the humans. The humans, with a look of utter surprise on their faces, turn and run away as fast as they can. They hurl themselves over a gate in the middle of the fence just as the bull catches up with them. A lucky escape! The bull hits the fence with his horns, and the fence wobbles rather a lot.

Blanca is fascinated by what she’s seen.

“Mum, what was all that about?” she asks.

“I don’t think the bulls wanted to go with those humans,” her mother explains.

“I guessed not,” says Blanca. “But why?”

Her mother looks thoughtful, before replying.

“Well, sometimes the humans make us dance around a ring or run through the streets with them whilst people watch. Only one or two bulls have ever come back to tell us what happens. And they weren’t very well when they did.”

Blanca is so shocked to hear this that she finds herself pawing the floor. Her family are stocky and strong. This shouldn’t be able to happen.

“But why do they keep taking bulls away to dance and run if it makes them disappear?” Blanca asks. She can’t understand this logic.

“It’s because it keeps the humans entertained, dear,” her mother responds quietly, and sorrowfully.

Blanca doesn’t think this is a very good reason at all to make bulls disappear. She decides she wants to help stop this happening. So her clever little bull brain kicks into action. Her brainy little bull thoughts think up different possibilities. As she is deep in concentration, she watches the bull that ran after the humans. He has backed up a bit from the fence. But his eyes are still focused on the gate. This immediately gives Blanca an idea.

“Of course!” her little voice says out loud.

“Mum,” she says quickly. “I think we need to use the power of the herd to stop this happening.”

Blanca tells her mother how she thinks she can stop the humans rounding up the bulls. Her mother thinks her idea has great promise. So she calls the rest of the herd together.

When the other bulls hear Blanca’s suggestion, they agree it’s a really good one. So, the herd organises itself into a line, a long way back from the fence. The adult bulls paw the ground and snort to show their readiness.

Blanca counts down, “3… 2… 1!” and then gives them the starting order, “Ruuuuuuun!”

The bulls all charge forward, building up speed. As they near the fence they all bellow in unison ROOOAAR! ROOOAAR! ROOOAAR!  And then they run straight into the fence, horns first. The fence and the gate don’t stand a chance. The stampede completely flattens them! The bulls are free. Outside of the fence, they can’t be cornered and taken away again.

The bulls keep on running for a while, before coming to a standstill. Ahead of them stretch miles and miles of meadows, with enough grass to eat for a lifetime. Some of the bulls bellow once again. Only this time, it’s with happiness.

Behind them, in the distance, they can see two humans, waving sticks in the air. Now it’s they who are agitated because they won’t be able to make any more bulls disappear.

The rest of the herd belly laugh and thank Blanca. Her mother gives her face a tender lick, to show she is proud of her.

Blanca is blissfully happy. She’s helped stop the cruel way in which the bulls were disappearing. Sometimes it pays to be a bull at a gate!

Questions for discussion

How does it feel if someone is cruel to you?

Have you heard any other stories of people being cruel to each other or to animals?

Can you think of way you can you help stop people being cruel to each other or to animals?