As Seigneur of Sark, Christopher Beaumont has many duties – one of which is caring for a new born calf.
The unexpected arrival was discovered last week when Major Beaumont was counting the cows on his land to make sure they were all there for breakfast.
He is currently caring for the beef herd because of staff shortages in Sark, splitting the work with another man who also helps to ensure the cows are well fed, watered, and in good health on a 24/7 basis.
The Seigneur told Express there was an additional cow there when he was counting them on Tuesday morning last week.
“I’ve got the morning shift, which actually is not too onerous,” he explained. “I don’t get up there much before nine o’clock, because even the cows are relaxed on Sark. I go up there to check that the calves are in the field they’re supposed to be in, and they haven’t escaped, and the bigger boys are where they’re supposed to be.
“So it did come as a shock when we found that one of the cows had calved and we didn’t know she was pregnant. She hadn’t told us. So now we’ve got an extra one, which is delightful.
“She’s doing well. We’ve named her Surprise, because she was a surprise, and now we’ve got an extra one to keep an eye on.”