Molly Ruder, operations manager at Watatunga wildlife reserve in Norfolk, has been hand rearing one-month-old calf Winnie since she was rejected by her mum hours after birth.
The adorable baby buffalo was originally living in Molly’s garden but after a cold snap in November she was brought inside and now spends her evenings sleeping in front of the fire.
“Christmas is going to be interesting as I have 11 family members coming to dinner and we have five dogs so it will be a bit of a squeeze with Winnie too,” said Molly. “She has started to become a bit like a toddler and is interested in everything. She goes round the house sniffing things and pulling them off the side.”
Winnie, who already weighs 50kg sleeps in the kitchen next to the boiler, but sneaks into the lounge during the evenings to warm herself by the fire.
She drinks seven litres of milk a day and has to be bottle-fed by Molly four times a day.
“We hear her hooves clattering along the marble floor then she comes in and lies by the fire,” said Molly. “She is on the biggest sized bottle now and feeds with us when we have our breakfast and lunch. She will enjoy milk and hay for her Christmas dinner. My partner Ben is an arable farmer and it was quite a shock for him to have a buffalo in the house at first, but now he’s used to it!”
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