Kid Territory:Critters: How Now, Tiny Cow?

Peanut the anoa Peanut is all grown up now and very gentle with her keepers.

anoas A buddy at last, Peanut gets along great with her bull.

Zoo name: Peanut
Species: lowland anoa
Location: San Diego Zoo's Kiwi Trail

Her story

Peanut was born at the Memphis Zoo in 1997. She came to the San Diego Zoo in 1998. Peanut was not much bigger than a medium-sized puppy, more black lab than black cow! That first night her keeper, Victoria, put a small tub of hay in the stall for her to munch on. In the morning, Peanut was curled up inside the tub, fast asleep!

Games with the keeper

Peanut quickly became a very spunky calf. When Victoria cleaned the exhibit, Peanut got to stay out with her while the rest of the herd was in the back. Peanut would hide behind trees and sneak up on her keeper. When Victoria saw her, Peanut would leap and buck and hide again. When the little calf was tired, she would lay across Victoria’s lap for a good belly scratch. On hot afternoons the little cow rested in a large rubber tub filled with water. She propped her chin on the edge so she could watch Zoo employees drive by. Many of them would stop to visit her. Peanut has always loved attention and still has keeper, educator, and gardener friends.

Petite cattle

Lowland anoas are the smallest of the cattle species. Peanut weighs 216 pounds (98.5 kilograms). She is about 2.5 feet (74 centimeters) tall at the shoulder. Lowland anoas are native to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. They are built for crashing through the jungle undergrowth. When they raise their chins, their horns lay right against their neck. This keeps them from getting tangled in vines, leaves, and branches. Most anoas will turn and attack when cornered or approached closely. The anoa is considered quick-tempered and dangerous. It will use its sharp horns as daggers. Thank goodness Peanut is not like most anoas!

Herd life

It took Peanut a while to find an anoa family of her own. Most female anoas stay with other related females and an adult male, or bull. Since she was an unrelated girl from another zoo, she would not be readily accepted into the Zoo's herd. When she was old enough, we needed to find Peanut a mate so they could begin their own family. After a couple of years, Peanut has finally found her bull. He is very gentle and doesn’t seem to mind her affection for people.

Where you can see her

Peanut the anoa lives at the top of the San Diego Zoo's Kiwi Trail, across from the meerkats.