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| Knickers Isn’t a Cow, but He’s Real, and Enormous | Knickers Isn’t a Cow, but He’s Real, and Enormous |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The world’s expectations for a hero have perhaps never been lower. | The world’s expectations for a hero have perhaps never been lower. |
| Which brings us to the steer. It’s like a normal steer, but bigger. | Which brings us to the steer. It’s like a normal steer, but bigger. |
| It’s a very big steer. | It’s a very big steer. |
| The very big steer is, according to the nearly unanimous acclaim on social media, a hero. At 6 feet 4 inches tall and more than 1.4 tons (2,800 pounds), it is roughly the height of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson but weighs about 11 times as much. | The very big steer is, according to the nearly unanimous acclaim on social media, a hero. At 6 feet 4 inches tall and more than 1.4 tons (2,800 pounds), it is roughly the height of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson but weighs about 11 times as much. |
| Its enormous size — just three inches short of the Guinness World Record for tallest living steer — saved it from certain death, its owner said. No one bought it for slaughter at an auction last month because potential buyers said it wouldn’t fit in their farm equipment. | Its enormous size — just three inches short of the Guinness World Record for tallest living steer — saved it from certain death, its owner said. No one bought it for slaughter at an auction last month because potential buyers said it wouldn’t fit in their farm equipment. |
| “He was always a standout steer,” said Geoff Pearson, who owns thousands of cattle in Myalup, a small town south of Perth in Western Australia. | “He was always a standout steer,” said Geoff Pearson, who owns thousands of cattle in Myalup, a small town south of Perth in Western Australia. |
| The steer’s name is Knickers. He’s a Holstein-Friesian, a dairy breed. | The steer’s name is Knickers. He’s a Holstein-Friesian, a dairy breed. |
| [Read more about what makes Knickers so big.] | [Read more about what makes Knickers so big.] |
| He is not, as many on the internet have wrongly assumed, a big cow. A cow is a female that has had at least one calf, while a steer is a male that has been neutered. | He is not, as many on the internet have wrongly assumed, a big cow. A cow is a female that has had at least one calf, while a steer is a male that has been neutered. |
| Mr. Pearson said he doesn’t usually get attached to his cattle. But Knickers is different. | Mr. Pearson said he doesn’t usually get attached to his cattle. But Knickers is different. |
| Knickers drew worldwide adoration after local news reports ignited coverage of him internationally, and his image saturated social media on Tuesday. | Knickers drew worldwide adoration after local news reports ignited coverage of him internationally, and his image saturated social media on Tuesday. |
| Get a load of this guy. | Get a load of this guy. |
| There was something familiar about him. Knickers is that guy who stands in front of you at every concert. | There was something familiar about him. Knickers is that guy who stands in front of you at every concert. |
| There was something relatable about him. Knickers looks the way you feel when you don’t know anyone at a party. | There was something relatable about him. Knickers looks the way you feel when you don’t know anyone at a party. |
| And there was something inspiring about him. Cattle don’t typically have much control over their fate. Knickers beat the system. | And there was something inspiring about him. Cattle don’t typically have much control over their fate. Knickers beat the system. |
| His reward for escaping the literal chopping block will be a life of coaching other animals on how to live their lives at the farm, Mr. Pearson said. The other animals have taken to him. | His reward for escaping the literal chopping block will be a life of coaching other animals on how to live their lives at the farm, Mr. Pearson said. The other animals have taken to him. |
| Mature steer of his breed typically stand 4 feet 10 inches tall and weigh about 1,500 pounds, according to the Cattle Site. | Mature steer of his breed typically stand 4 feet 10 inches tall and weigh about 1,500 pounds, according to the Cattle Site. |
| While Knickers is undoubtedly an absolute unit, the images make him appear even bigger when surrounded by Wagyu, a different breed of cattle that typically tops out at about 4 feet 7 inches, Mr. Pearson said. And while Knickers is 7 years old, the cattle surrounding him are about 1, he added. | |
| Mr. Pearson said that he’s had Knickers since the steer was young, and that he always saw the potential for greatness. | Mr. Pearson said that he’s had Knickers since the steer was young, and that he always saw the potential for greatness. |
| “We all recognized him to potentially grow into where he is now,” he said. | “We all recognized him to potentially grow into where he is now,” he said. |
| He said he appreciated Knickers’ “stardom,” which was eagerly lapped up by social media users tired of arguing about politics. | He said he appreciated Knickers’ “stardom,” which was eagerly lapped up by social media users tired of arguing about politics. |