This Cow is Bringing Smiles to People Down Under

The birth of a healthy calf is certainly something to celebrate on a farm but one calf gave farmers Megan and Barry Coster even more to smile about. That’s because the Holstein calf  was born with markings that look like a smiley face.

The Coster’s Bellbrook Holsteins farm in Ripplebrook, West Gippsland in Australia breed around 700 calves a year, reported ABC News but they have never seen anything like this before.

When Barry Coster was checking the herd during his morning rounds on March 10, 2023, he came across the calf – now named Happy – and was surprised to see a face smiling at him. He was so shocked that he took a photo and sent it to his wife.

“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,” Megan Coster told ABC. 

Happy gets a new home
At first, the Costers were going to keep Happy on the farm where he would be a life-long pet but after the news about this unique calf got out, the couple was bombarded by media from around the world, according to an update from ABC News. That’s when they decided Happy should go on to do great things.

So they started looking for a buyer for the calf but the Costers were not looking to make a profit from the sale. The proceeds were donated to the West Gippsland Hospital that is being redeveloped and upgraded.

Barry Costa said that they wanted the money from the sale to go to the hospital. He told ABC: “all our children were born there and people we care about have been patients.”

Farm World, a field day event  held at Lardner Park purchased Happy who will now live out his days at the park which consists of a 120-hectare (300 acres)  working farm that has livestock so Happy will have plenty of company. And the farm is located just around the corner from his birthplace..

Happy is the park mascot
Happy is adjusting well, eating well, and has a great temperament, Craig Debnam , Lardner Park’s chief executive officer told Fox9 News. 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,” he said

Bona Vista Primary School students were among the visitors who came to see this very special calf. A student told ABC that it was “pretty cool to see Happy because I saw him on social media last week. I spoke to my friends about him and this is my first time on a farm,” he said.

So Happy is doing what most one-month old cows do, he is grazing, taking naps, but more importantly, he is making anyone that sees him smile!