The cow slowly raises its head, pricks up its ears and looks at the newcomers on the pasture, chewing and with big eyes.

Fine curls ripple on the forehead in the glossy maple-colored Angus fur.

"It's the kind of cow that breeders think: a beautiful animal," says Wilhelm Schäkel.

In addition to sheep, horses and donkeys, the graduate farmer and philosopher keeps around 100 cattle on his organic, holiday and adventure ranch in Zempow in northern Brandenburg.

With them he regularly introduces interested visitors to the art of cow whispering.

Alpaca and donkey hikes, encounters with horses and sheep, now cow whispering: These offers are not new, but they are increasingly attracting city dwellers in search of meaning.

"Experiences" like cow whispering are advertised on Instagram, and influencers have been posing with alpacas in the pasture for a long time.

The encounter with the herd: suddenly cool.

Why?

And what exactly can you learn from it?

The cow whisper was developed for dealing with animals.

As a farmer, Schäkel was faced with the question: How do I move my herd from pasture A to pasture B?

Common answer: with pressure and violence.

But aggressive driving or hitting with a stick "really causes stress" in the cow, says Schäkel.

He looked for an alternative.

This is not just an ethical issue: a stressed cow gives less milk.

And can become aggressive.

According to Schäkel, there are around 6,000 to 8,000 accidents involving cows in Germany every year.

With a body mass of around 700 kilos, this can sometimes end fatally.

Schäkel came across the "Low Stress Stockmanship" method from the USA, in which farmers learn to steer the cow with mindfulness and the use of body language.

So non-violent communication.

The cow whisperer offers seminars and workshops not only for people who work with cattle herds, but also for everyone who reacts to buzzwords such as stress and mindfulness, closeness and distance, empathy and soft skills.

“New Berliners, I would say,” describes Schäkel the target group and appraises his visitors from the capital with a penetrating gaze.

Schäkel believes that you can also learn something about yourself with the animals - in 3-hour programs or entire seminar weeks.

Managers can also learn a lot about leadership: Although herds of cows have hierarchical structures, decisions are made collectively and for the benefit of all.

The cows have long been able to do what humans often fail to do.

Schäkel wrote the word “cow whisper” on a piece of paper.

Before going to the pasture, there is a theoretical introduction and safety instructions: "You don't want to upset a cow like that." For him, they are very special animals: the cow has its own character, cultivate friendships.

And she lives in social structures of up to 70 animals.

The cows then organized themselves into subgroups.

He would like to teach the seminar participants the “language” of cows.

No moos, just movements.

Since around 90 percent of human communication takes place without words, this can definitely succeed with empathy.

You can see your behavior reflected in how you deal with the herd.

The goal of the day will be to move the herd from one pasture to another using only the means of your own body.

For this it is important to reach a decision-making position within the herd relatively quickly;

to lead with trust, without fear.