‘Gay’ bull could be facing the slaughterhouse

An Irish farmer could send one of his prized breeding bulls to the slaughter – because he is more interested in breeding with males than females.

The anonymous farmer in County Mayo bought Benjy – an expensive pedigree Charolais bull – with the intention of breeding cattle last year.

However, the farmer was left disappointed when the bull refused to mate – and showed more interest in other bulls than with cows.

He said: “Benjy had already been tested and everything was normal, so it became apparent that the problem lay elsewhere.”

The farmer theorised that the bull was just a “discreet chappy” – but he brought in an expert who noticed his attraction to the same sex.

He said: “At first I didn’t take seriously that the bull could be gay but after seeking advice I know this can happen.”

The bull could be facing the slaughterhouse, with the farmer adding: “The bull is now too old to castrate and turn into a bullock so I will keep him for the factory.”

Homosexual behaviour has been observed in a number of species in the animal kingdom.

A journal earlier this year reported the first known instance of two male brown bears engaging in oral sex.

The zookeepers wrote: “In the case reported here, the provider may have found a substitute for teat‐sucking that also resulted in a let‐down of substitute ‘milk’.”