Giant North Coast cow that vied for title of tallest bovine dies

EUREKA - A giant, 1-ton Holstein steer that loved to eat bread and received international attention when it competed for the title of world's tallest bovine has died.

Danniel, who stood 6 feet and 4 inches (2 meters) but didn't win the competition in 2016, died Saturday at age 8, the Eureka Times-Standard reported.

Danniel spent the last few years living at Lost Coast Hay in Eureka, California, where he would eat 100 pounds (45 kilograms) of hay and 15 pounds (7 kilograms) of grain and drink 100 gallons (380 liters) of water a day.

Danniel loved to eat bread, and whenever he heard a bread bag shaking, he would trot across the field, owner Ken Farley said.

"When he would run, he looked like a doofus," Farley said.

Danniel suffered from a calcium deficiency, and it had become hard for him to get up, he said. He was known for his gentle nature, sharing a pen with other animals from time to time.

Farley and his wife are trying to figure out the proper way to bury a giant steer.

"We want to bury him on site and have a memorial for him," Farley said. "He's just like one of the family."