Markings on cows can sometimes be quite strange, and Happy the calf from West Gippsland’s unique markings is no exception.
If you haven’t already guessed, the markings on Happy inspired the name, with the calf being born with a smiley face on its side.
"We've seen some number sevens or love hearts on the head and a few strange markings, but we've never seen anything that resembles a smiley face before," Barry Coster, who owns Bellbrook Holsteins, where Happy was born, told the ABC.
"I couldn't believe it — I actually zoomed in at first to make sure that none of our workers had added some extra lines or anything.”
After the amazing discovery, Coster told the ABC he decided that the dairy farm life wasn’t for Happy.
Instead, Happy was purchased by Lardner Park for a donation of $10,000 to the West Gippsland Hospital.
With an abundance of indoor and outdoor spaces, Happy is now Lardner Park’s official mascot.
"Happy has a lovely temperament and is a very active and attentive calf. He is feeding really well and seems well settled into his pen at Lardner Park. With approximately 40,000 to 50,000 patrons coming through the gates to see "Happy" this weekend, we know Happy will put a smile on everybody’s face," Craig Debnam, Lardner Park’s chief executive officer, told FOX TV Stations.
