A group of friends on a rural vacation came across a field of cows, and decided to treat the animals to some music—and couldn’t believe their reaction.
Damaris, 24, lives in Los Angeles, and, while on a trip to Oregon, found a field full of dozens of grazing cows. Some of the group had read online that the animals enjoy hearing music, particularly jazz, so “we decided to play jazz at full volume and we parked very close to the cows,” she told Newsweek.
None of them expected the reaction the herd would have, but it was immediate. “At first, some of the cows looked in our direction, and then one cow started getting closer, and then slowly a couple more followed,” Damaris said. “Soon enough, there was this tiny circle of cows staring at us. There were cows that were far away that ran toward the circle, too.”
The group thought it was “funny and super cute,” and after serenading the animals for around 10 minutes, decided to drive off again—but, as shown in a viral TikTok to her account @damritz, the cows followed.
TikTok @damritz
In the video, shared on August 21 and with more than 30.4 million views and over 8 million likes, Damaris records from the back seat as dozens of cows sprint through the fields, following the car, as the smooth jazz continues to blare.
The group can be heard laughing at the incredible reaction, and Damaris described it as “a bit scary but also funny”—and, eventually, “we ended up lowering the volume and speeding up to lose the cows.”
A study published on the National Library of Medicine website in 2021 found that music had a profound effect on livestock, including cattle, as it increased their relaxation and alleviated stress.
The study, by Patrycja Ciborowska, Monika Michalczuk, and Damian Bień, found that playing music for the animals increased the production performance of the livestock; it helped reduce the adverse effects of farm noise, depending on the genre, noise level and tempo of the music.
TikTok @damritz
Damaris, who doesn’t often get to see cows where she lives, had “never seen cows run, so I wanted to share it”—and TikTok users responded in a massive way, with thousands of people commenting on the clip.
“Omg [oh my God] that’s so cute,” one wrote, while another posted: “STOP AND LET THEM ENJOY THE MUSIC.”
“Oh to be a cow running to some jazz,” a third commented, while a fourth wrote: “Moosic.”
Damaris told Newsweek: “I did not think it was going to blow up like this, but I’m glad it’s something everyone, so far, has enjoyed watching!”
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