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These Working Animals Wow Us

These animals have a job to do. 

Guideposts celebrates the incredible animals working to make our world a little better. 

Woman with Cow

1 of 5 Bovine Buddies

You’ve heard of animal therapy with dogs, cats, horses, birds…but cows? On farms in the U.S., the Netherlands, and other countries, cow cuddling (koe knuffelen in Dutch) is helping people feel better. Not every cow is suited to the job, but many have calm person­alities that invite a warm embrace. Some even lie down, allowing folks to get closer. A farmer, a therapist, or a handler shows visitors how to approach and greet the cows and oversees the session to ensure it’s a safe interaction.


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2 of 5 Canine Conservationists

In 2017 the worst wildfires in Chile’s history destroyed 1.4 million acres of forestland in the central Maule Region. Three border collies named Das, Olivia, and Summer trotted in to help. Wearing special backpacks filled with native seeds, the dogs ran up to 18 miles during out­ings, sowing more than 20 pounds of seeds along the way. Their owner and trainer, Francisca Torres, told Mother Nature Network, “We have seen many results in flora and fauna coming back to the burned forest.”

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A goat reaches to eat weeds, vines and grasses on the exterior perimeter of Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC

3 of 5 In the Weeds

Along the Great Allegheny Passage trail and the banks of Monongahela River near Pittsburgh, six goats from Allegheny GoatScape munch on invasive and unwanted vegetation. These goats provide a natural solution for clearing overgrowth in parks and on trails and college campuses, eating everything from weeds to poison ivy. Allegheny GoatScape sets up fencing and shelter for the animals and transports them to the next location when they’re finished working in a particular area.


Rufus the resident Harris Hawk keeps the courts pigeon free on Day Seven of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club

4 of 5 Serving a Purpose

While spectators at the All England Club have their eyes on the ball dur­ing Wimbledon’s tennis matches, Rufus the hawk is watching out for pi­geons. Rufus’s presence keeps birds from landing (and relieving themselves) on the court and dis­rupting the tournament. Though Wimbledon is his biggest job, Rufus also patrols other stadiums, hospitals, and Westminster Abbey. But he doesn’t go far—the hawk always returns to his handler, Imogen Davis, knowing she will feed him.


Weddell seal carrying a CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth) tag

5 of 5 Seal of Approval

Scientists were perplexed when a giant hole, known as a polynya, opened in the ice of the Weddell Sea, off the coast of Antarctica, in 2016 and 2017. Using a combination of robots, radio equipment, and elephant seals wearing antennas on their heads, experts learned that unusual ocean conditions, salt levels, and intense storms caused the open­ing. Without the seals—which swam into the depths of the polynya and transmitted data via the antennas—we may never have gotten to the bot­tom of this hole mystery.

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