The Boundary and the Bull

A uniquely bred bull, possessing a long line of bull--pedigrees that is--unknowingly finds himself in a situation where he is being conditioned to face off with a famous matador in a grudge match that will result in certain death for him. Although he is suspicious of the rancher's (who owns him) motivation for treating him so well, he is blindly bullheaded and becomes distracted, perhaps somewhat forgetful, when he is put out to pasture in a field adjacent to the neighboring dairy farm. While in the pasture a friendship develops between him and a young dairy cow, much to the dismay of the farmer who owns her. Eventually, the bull breaks down the fence that forms a boundary between the rancher's pasture and and the farmer's field. The bull becomes a companion to the dairy cow, who is genetically unique in her own right. This upsets the rancher as well as the dairy farmer who are determined to keep them apart. The local veterinarian, who values the uniqueness of the bull's life and who thinks it should be treated humanely, does not offer any consolation to the rancher, who only wants to make a profit off the animal. The veterinarian holds the opinion that animals should not be raised for sport and entertainment purposes, especially when the sport involves cruel treatment that subjects an animal to torture and violence. Because the rancher owns the bull and is paying the veterinarian to treat and care for the bull, the veterinarian states his opinion but can do nothing to change the rancher's mindset about his right to profit from the animal in whatever way he chooses, including bullfights. While the rancher and the dairy farmer are preoccupied with their cattle, the rancher's young ranch hand falls in love with the farmer's daughter. They follow the rancher to the bullfight on their honeymoon because he has given them free tickets to the event as a wedding present. The trip results in a setting with more unique fences and boundaries for the dairy farmer, who must wonder if Robert Frost was right when he wrote that "good fences make good neighbors." The farmer greatly regrets that the border between the ranch and his dairy farm was violated and not respected. Nature often has barriers in place to bar human tampering; perhaps those barriers should not be trespassed because of the potential for dire and unforeseen situations. One is left to consider: does man have the wisdom to anticipate every possible outcome--fortunate or not--that could rise from his determination to engage in the biological manipulation of a species?