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It goes without saying that farmers love their animals, and this was reflected in the popularity of stories concerning our four-legged friends last year.
However, it wasn't just animals of the bovine or ovine variety that made it to the top five tales in 2020.
In fact, one of the most read stories was about an animal that doesn't exist anymore.
Check out The Country's most popular animal stories of 2020 below:
Top dog goes for $13,200 at Mid Canterbury
Coming in at number one was this story about a dog called Spring, who went for $13,200 at the 64th PGG Wrightson annual sheep and cattle dog sale at the Mayfield A&P showgrounds.
Good girl Spring!
Read all about it here: Top dog goes for $13,200 at Mid Canterbury
Bull sells for $60,000
Impressive animal sales always go well on The Country, but a bull commanding this kind of price, despite a global pandemic, was a stand out for our audience - and the second most read animal story of 2020.
Sudeley 18101 sold for $60,000 at the annual on-farm Sudeley Angus bull sale in Canterbury last June.
Read all about it here: Bull sells for $60,000
Whanganui Tasmanian tiger pelt provides DNA of extinct marsupial
Number three on the list was a bit of a curve ball. A Tasmanian tiger pelt found in New Zealand caused excitement in Australia as it revealed new information about their coats and also provided some surviving DNA.
This yarn was so popular we've added it to the top animal list, even though Tasmanian tigers are extinct.
Find out more about this discovery here: Whanganui Tasmanian tiger pelt provides DNA of extinct marsupial
Boris the wandering steer
Things get back to rural business with our fourth most popular tale.
A "crazy big" Angus steer returned home after wandering the mountainous Hurunui back country for nearly 13 years.
His name is Boris and you can read about him here: Wandering steer Boris back after 13 years in the Canterbury wilderness
'You don’t want to be doom and gloom your whole life. That's just a miserable way to live'