Patron of Henny Penny Libraries India becomes a global celebrity.
He's dwarfed by dogs and goats — and has just been
recognised as the world’s shortest bull.
Archie, a 29-month Dexter from Co Antrim, Northern
Ireland, measures just 30 inches (76.2cms) from hoof to withers — 15
inches shorter than other bulls of his breed.
He is now listed in the latest edition of the Guinness
Book of Records as the shortest bull in the world.
Ryan Lavery (15) bought Archie at a rare breeds show in
Gosford, Armagh, when the animal was five months old and said if it
hadn’t been for his diminutive size, Archie’s fate would have been very
different.
“When we bought Archie he was destined for beef,” he
explained.
“However, by Christmas time, he still hadn’t grown and
because we had become so fond of him we decided to keep him.
“His size saved him and now he’s going to live out the
rest of his life as a pet.
“Archie doesn’t realise he’s so short. He thinks he’s the
biggest in the herd and he’ll grunt and roar at the rest of them.
“He’s generally OK around the other farm animals, but if
something agitates him he’ll go for them, and even though he’s little,
at 155kg it can hurt.”
Ryan, a former Young Smallholder of the Year, said he
hopes the record raises the profile of the rare Dexter breed of cattle,
which originates in the southwest of Ireland.
His dad Tom said Ryan has been a keen farmer since the
age of seven and was showing some of his Dexter cattle at Gosford when
he spotted Archie.
“He was owned by the family who were beside us,” he said.
“Archie’s mum died when he was three days old and they didn’t
want to get too attached to him because when Dexter cattle reach two they’re
ready for the butcher.
“He never really grew very much.
“Like the rest of us, he’s not getting much taller — he’s just
getting wider.”
During his short life, Archie has already had an illustrious
career. He was spotted by representatives of A Ray of Hope, UNESCO Youth
Ambassador for the Culture of Peace, when they were in the petting farm at
Aghalee’s Santa grotto and ended up becoming a patron of Henny Penny Libraries,
which makes library facilities available to disadvantaged children in India. A
Ray of Hope, UNESCO and Henny Penny Libraries later put in an application for
Archie to be considered for the Guinness Book of Records, and the rest is
history.
“We thought nothing of it and then it all came back — yes he is
the smallest bull in the world, and it escalated out of all proportion,” Tom
added.
“He’s getting to be a prima donna. He likes to be petted a bit
more than everybody else — he likes to be the first at everything.”
Archie Lavery -
Born in 2010 - the son of aspiring
parents who have watched him develop into the up and coming
celebrity he is today. Archie has long had an interest in agriculture,
crop rotation, farm management and grass yields and has made various
references to the Henny Pennies he sees.
Archie believes that to have care
and attention is the right of us all.
He sends his every best wish to those
involved with Henny Penny Libraries wishing them every success in the
years to come.
Federico Mayor
was born in Barcelona in 1934. Holding a
Doctorate in Pharmacy from the Universidad
Complutense in Madrid (1958), in 1963 he
became professor of biochemistry in the
School of Pharmacy at the University of
Granada.
In
1978 he became the Vice-Director General of
UNESCO, and in 1987 he was elected Director
General of that organisation, being
re-elected for a second mandate in 1993.
After haven decided not to present himself
for a third term, in 1999 he returned to
Spain to create the Foundation a
Culture of Peace, serving as its
President.
During his
twelve years as head of UNESCO (1987-1999)
Professor Mayor Zaragoza gave new life to
the Organization’s mission to “build a
bastion of peace in the minds of all
people”, putting the institution at the
service of peace, tolerance, human rights
and peaceful coexistence, working within the
scope of its powers and remaining faithful
to its original goals. Under Professor
Mayor’s guidance, UNESCO created the
Culture of Peace Programme.
............ and of even greater importance
is that he has been a long term friend of A
Ray of Hope whom we all admire and respect.
Dr. Mridu Rai
We are honoured that Mridu has accepted our request to be patron of Henny
Penny Libraries.
She is a specialist in the history of south Asia and her current research at
Trinity College Dublin focuses on questions of caste and violence in the context
of new ideas about community, territory and nation in the north of modern India.
Mridu is passionate about her interests and this now includes her contribution
to Henny Penny Libraries.
Mridu's illustrious career has shown her that the gift of reading for
children is worth more than gold and she has vowed to promote the development of
the libraries as best she can.
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