Life can be udderly challenging working in a rescue sanctuary but Nia Timms loves giving the animals the “best care” possible.
During a routine day, a blind cow massaged her head into the side of a calf while their carer looked on, trying not to interfere in the animal bonding.
At one stage Nia, who runs the Heartstone Sanctuary in Co Sligo, alerted blind Ivy to stop what she is doing in case she hurts the calf, Ernie.
Nia, a former journalist who swapped her investigative human rights work to rescue animals, decided to photograph the event – having never witnessed it before.
But she soon realised Ernie’s life was in danger as he was bloating with methane and was unable to release the substance which was building in his stomach.
Even though she had no sight, Ivy was massaging the calf in order to help the gas shift as, if left untreated, it can lead to suffocation in an animal.
Nia said: “I thought Ivy was hurting Ernie, I tried to stop them. But then I realised that Ernie was bloating.
“That’s not a rarity in cows and can have different causes, but it can go very wrong if untreated and can even lead to suffocation.
“Humans massage the rumen. Ivy pressed her head into it.
“I don’t know how she knew what would help... but she knew instinctively what was needed.”
It is not the first time Nia has been left in awe of her animals’ abilities.
She described how one of her calves, Stevie, looked after another cow, Ebony, who had just lost her calf and was grieving.
Her love for the animals, who all have been given names, is the reason she set up the Heartstone Sanctuary, a small farm near Tubbercurry.
Nia has rescued 32 cows, ponies and horses and works a gruelling 17 hours a day on her own caring for their every need.
She said the animals “would all be dead if I had not taken them in”.
Nia, who moved to Ireland from Germany in 2012, added: “It might sound a bit cheesy, but I wanted to be here in Ireland, I love it here.
“There are no other sanctuaries like mine, I rescue cows, calves, any animal, but I am already overcrowded.”
Nia described how her work is non-stop as she spends her days giving her animals the “best care”.
She said: “People don’t realise cows are like dogs when it comes to affection, they are so gentle.
“But they are a tonne weight and break up the ground, so there is so much damage to my land because of their weight.
“I have disabled animals and my cows Angel and Ivy are blind. With them you have to muck them out a few times a day and at night you have to bring them in; they all have stables but the blind ones have to be locked up at night to keep them safe.
“Some of them go out when it is dark, but the blind ones can’t.
“I have a night light for them and I keep them in when it gets dark so they don’t get frightened.
“Their capabilities, emotionally and physically, never ceases to amaze me, I have underestimated them for years. They are selfless and compassionate. Just like Ivy, the blind cow, who knew to help Ernie, it was so emotional realising what she was doing.
“I also have a dog Rio and he is the nurse in the sanctuary, he checks all the animals – he is very loving towards them.”
Nia wants to continue her work, but a lack of Government funding, no charity status and a lack of volunteers is the reason she has turned to the public for help. She added: “I love it here, but it’s just not big enough for the animals any more.
“I am desperately trying to find a farm to move the animals to.
“They are my life and family, they would all be dead if I didn’t take them in.”
- Nia is currently trying to fundraise to buy a large farm for the animals and donations can be given at https://chuffed.org/project/heartstone2.
