Man Took Four Cows To Antarctica, But He Was Concealing A Strange Ulterior Motive

Expeditions to Antarctica are treacherous and potentially deadly endeavors even today. But back in the 1930s, they were even more perilous. Naturally, when Richard E. Byrd set off for the frozen continent in 1933, he’d have wanted to make his journey as safe and simple as possible. So why on Earth did he complicate matters by bringing along a bunch of lumbering cows?

Risky business

This was Byrd’s second trip to Antarctica, so maybe he was just feeling confident? Still, it seems like an unnecessary risk for an explorer to take on such a dangerous journey. Cows aren’t exactly known for their excursions into frozen deserts, so why bring them along? There must have been some logic.

The bigger picture

As it happens, Byrd had plenty of reasons for taking the cows to Antarctica. On the one hand, taking the animals delivered some very practical benefits to the crew. But beyond that, Byrd was motivated by a much bigger picture. He saw that bringing along these farmyard animals had very real geopolitical ramifications.

Facing danger

Regardless of any perceived advantages to bringing along the bovines, though, the obvious risks must surely have given Byrd pause for thought. Then again, the man was used to staring danger in the face. So much of his life had already been defined by diving right into intense and perilous experiences.

Navy pilot

Byrd had previously been in the Navy, where he had trained as a pilot. He went on to serve in World War I, illustrating his incredible navigation skills that would stand him in good stead for his later career as an explorer. In 1924 he was sent to fly over the icy landscape of Greenland; it was an experience which he adored.

What an honor!

Byrd had been so enthused soaring over the ice-covered landscape that it inspired him to attempt to fly across the top of the world over the North Pole, a feat which at that time had never been accomplished. Unperturbed, he set off to make the journey alongside pilot Floyd Bennet in May 1926. The pair were in the air for over 15 hours, before making it back and announcing their success. They were each given a Medal of Honor for their efforts.

Byrd’s diary

The thing is, though, certain historians have actually called Byrd and Bennet’s success into question. In fact, a diary entry allegedly written by Byrd himself seems to confirm these suspicions. This was discovered in the 1990s and suggests that the two men actually failed because of damage to their aircraft.

Transatlantic flight

During Byrd’s day, none of these doubts had surfaced and his reputation remained untarnished – in fact, it only continued to soar. In 1927 he and three others flew from one side of the Atlantic to the other, which at that time was quite the undertaking. There’s no reason to doubt this particular achievement, and it cemented his status as a famous adventurer.

Little America

Given his burgeoning reputation, Byrd found it easy to drum up enough financial support to organize a trip across Antarctica. And so in 1928 he led a team through the icy desert, where he established a settlement known as Little America. This represented a base for the explorers, from which they would be able to venture further into undiscovered areas.

Skill and instinct

During the winter of 1929 Byrd and three colleagues set off from Little America on a flight to the South Pole. This was obviously an arduous journey, with even compasses unable to function properly due to the constant fluctuations of the magnetic field in their surroundings. The success of the flight, then, was reliant on the skills and pure instincts of the people undertaking it.

Averting disaster

The mission could so easily have ended in disaster, as the crew almost crashed their plane into the side of a mountain at one point. They just about managed to clear a ridge between two peaks, but it had been a close-run thing. They made it to the pole anyway, tossed down a United States flag, and then flew back to Little America.

Round two

Byrd seemingly developed a taste for Antarctica during his first expedition, as he returned only a few years later. In 1933 he set off again, arriving in Little America with the intention of mapping out further expanses of the continent and performing more scientific experiments. This time, though, it wasn’t only a bunch of humans that made the journey.

Cows on a mission

Brought to Antarctica aboard the S.S. Jacob Ruppert, a trio of cows accompanied Byrd and his crew. Their names were Foremost Southern Girl, Deerfoot Guernsey Maid and Klondike Gay Nira, the last of which was pregnant. The plan was for the calf to be born on Antarctica, but the young male was actually delivered during the journey.

True pioneers

The voyage to Antarctica took three whole months, which can’t have been comfortable for anyone involved. The cows lived in a makeshift enclosure on the ship’s deck, before being moved into a bigger space underneath. They all managed to survive, and they were eventually lowered from the ship down onto the frozen continent by a crane. They were pioneers of the bovine world.

Daring youth

Having said that, not all the cows were quite so willing to partake in this groundbreaking adventure. The one named Southern Girl, for instance, was really reluctant to leave the ship for the icy surface. By all accounts the young calf Iceberg, though, was genuinely cavalier and seemed to lead his elders.

Tough conditions

Conditions on Antarctica are intensely severe, and not many creatures are built to withstand them. Keeping cows there, then, required a lot of work. A barn needed to be built, for one thing, and lots of food and equipment to deal with them had to be dragged across the ice, too.

Unlikely roommates

Byrd delegated much of the farmyard work to one of his crew members, a man named Edgar Cox. As an experienced farmer back home in America, it was Cox’s responsibility to keep the animals alive and healthy. In fact, it’s said that he even lived in the same barn where they were kept. It must have been cramped and loud, though, as some kittens and a wolf-dog mutt also inhabited the space.

Blank expressions

The person in charge of communications during the expedition was Charles J. V. Murphy, who remarked during one of his transmissions about how stressful the experience must have been for the animals. He said, “The only relaxation they have is a weekly walk down the narrow tunnels during which they are usually assaulted by the wild pups... and the only grass they have seen is hay at least a year old... In spite of it all they maintain that blank, docile expression of resignation characteristic of all cows.”

A sorry sight

Byrd’s own thoughts about the cows are also on record, with the explorer writing about how tough it was for Cox to manage them. He reflected, “To me one of the most melancholy sights of the winter was the spectacle of Cox, with the temperature -70°[F], trying to pry with a crowbar a bale of hay from a stalagmite of ice.”

And then there were three... again

Sadly, not all of the cows made it through the extreme ordeal. The one named Klondike fell victim to frostbite at one stage, so the decision was taken to put the beast out of its misery. The herd was down to three once again, as it had been before Iceberg was born.

Method in the madness

Klondike’s demise proved once and for all just how dangerous Antarctica was for cows, though that was obvious enough anyway. So, why did Byrd insist on bringing these poor beasts along with him and his crew? Well, there were a variety of reasons, some of them more simple and obvious than others.

Got milk?

First things first, let’s consider the most straightforward one: the cows were there to provide the explorers with milk. During that period of time, milk was widely viewed as central to a healthy diet. So, it might seem reasonable that the explorers wanted a supply of the stuff during their strenuous adventure.

Dairy alternatives

The thing is, though, the sheer amount of work required to bring the cows to Antarctica and then to keep them alive there was plainly over the top. People had survived on the continent before, taking their nutrition from other sources. In fact, it was pretty easy to bring along powdered milk.

Attention-seekers

The explorers didn’t actually need fresh milk in order to survive, then. So, there must have been another reason to bring along the cows. But what was it? Well, that reason may simply have been to drum up attention in the media. The notion of cows in Antarctica, after all, was a pretty novel one.

Returning the favor

Attention was actually important for the expedition, as the whole thing was financially supported by private patrons. These various vested interests expected something in return, though. Basically, these commercial backers wanted the expedition members to snap photos of their products being used on Antarctica, which they’d then use for marketing purposes.

Thinking outside the box

So, to keep things interesting for people back home, Byrd came up with the crazy idea to take the cows. He’d already been in Antarctica before, after all, so the expedition wasn’t so novel on its own terms anymore. He needed some audacious stunt to keep people focused on his latest journey.

Not exactly according to plan

That was why Byrd had brought along a pregnant cow on the expedition. It had been hoped Iceberg would be born on the continent itself, which would’ve been a definite first. That plan failed when the cow gave birth on the ship, obviously, but even so Iceberg became something of a celebrity anyway.

Big business

On the whole, the stunt worked like a charm. Back in America, the businesses which had helped to fund the expedition took full advantage of all the press the cows received. One booklet, for example, which was circulated by one of the companies mentioned “the first cows to ever venture into the frozen wastes of the South Pole region.”

Moo-ving into politics

Clearly, then, there was a marketing benefit to bringing the cows along on the expedition. But even that doesn’t tell the whole story: there was another consideration at play, too, and it was a little more complicated than mere advertising. Odd as it sounds, this publicity stunt takes us into the realm of geopolitics.

The scramble for Antarctica

During this period in the 1930s several nations had begun to lay claim to parts of Antarctica. The French, British and Argentinians had all established a presence on the icy continent, and the Americans wanted to get in on the action. But that wasn’t the easiest of things to do.

Abiding by the rules

According to a document known as the Hughes Doctrine, nations couldn’t just claim any piece of land that they’d discovered. There had to be a proper settlement in place before they could do so, but what exactly does that entail? Well, you could set up a post office. Or, indeed, you could establish a farm.

An echo of history

Of all farm animals, cows are especially significant in American history. When early colonists were making their way across America and establishing their settlements, after all, cows were extremely important to their endeavors. Byrd’s decision to bring cows to Antarctica, then, can be seen as harking back to these pioneers’ exploits.

Cow town

At a symbolic level, the cows’ arrival to Little America seemed to legitimize its status as a frontier town in Antarctica. It showed that the United States had properly established a settlement of its own on the frozen continent. How important this actually proved to be is questionable, but it was seemingly a part of Byrd’s motivations.

Cows on tour

The stunt most certainly succeeded in making celebrities out of the three cows who made it back to America alive. And unfortunately for the poor beasts, they were subjected to yet more time outside of their comfort zone. This time, though, they were sent on tour for the sake of publicity.

Cow cocktails

Southern Girl and Iceberg, for example, were once sent to the fancy New York hotel then known as The Commodore. Here, they were shown off in bizarre circumstances, as if they were regular A-listers. As a report of the event in newspaper The New York Times claimed, “Both had hay cocktails – heaps of hay with cracked ice.”

On the airwaves

The third surviving cow, Deerfoot, was also sent on her own publicity mission. Just like her former companions Southern Girl and Iceberg, the beast showed up in fancy hotels. She also made appearances at dairy fairs, plus she was heard on the radio. Presumably she mooed about her bizarre experiences on Antarctica.

Movie stars

The three cows were eventually allowed to see out the rest of their lives in peace, sent back to the farms where they were raised. Their story, though, continued to spread across the United States. There was even a documentary about them titled Guernseys Discover Antarctica, which was shown across the country.

Repeated returns

Byrd, meanwhile, kept up his adventuring. In 1939 he went back to Antarctica for a third time, before serving with the Navy again throughout World War II. When the conflict ended, he yet again returned to his favorite frozen desert. This was the biggest of his Antarctica missions, and it resulted in over 500,000 miles of land being mapped out.

One more time

Still, having returned home once again, Byrd had one more expedition left in him. In 1955 he went back to Antarctica for the fifth and what would prove to be the last time. He passed away two years later at the age of 68, bringing an end to an extraordinary life of exploration.

A great pity

Byrd’s life was fascinating, as were the lives of the cows he brought with him to Antarctica. But as his one-time communications technician Murphy pointed out, it was impossible to know whether the animals themselves ever appreciated that fact. As his colleague had remarked at the time, “It is a great pity that cows can’t talk. I would certainly like to hear what they think of this whole business.”