It’s not every day a cow grazes the hallways of Elk Grove High School.

In some ways, that is a literal statement for senior Bowie Herrejon. Their fursona, Ziggy, is a bovine that occasionally appears in Bowie’s presence for classes at Elk Grove.

A fursona is a personalized animal identity, similar to an alter ego. Ziggy is Bowie’s fursona, but Ziggy is a separate individual from Bowie’s personal identity. Bowie refers to themselves as Ziggy’s suit owner.

“I love him with all my heart,” Herrejon said of Ziggy. “I basically just made him as an easier way to convey stuff on paper.”

Initially a sketch, Ziggy turned into an identity extension to further Herrejon’s ideas and life.

By creating a fursona, individuals are able to further express themselves through an animal identity and physically through an animal fur suit. A suit can be anything from a nametag to a full-body, custom-made outfit like Ziggy.

Ziggy’s suit is a commissioned cow head from Etsy that took three months to make.

“The thing cost me, like, $600 because fursuits are expensive,” Herrjeon said, “but it was totally worth it.”

Ziggy’s separate identity is also propagated through an Instagram account dedicated to him.

Ziggy’s account, Ziggythemilkman on Instagram, highlights the cow’s experiences in a public high school alongside Ziggy’s classmates. Ziggy’s suit owner created the account from one of their old accounts, but Ziggy runs the account. 

Ziggy wasn’t born overnight, and neither was Herrejon’s confidence to express themselves through art.

“It’s high school, no one cares,” Herrejon said. “I’ve dressed up as Post Malone before. I’ve walked barefoot in the halls, no one cares. No one bats an eye.”

Bowie participates in choir and Dungeons & Dragons club at Elk Grove. After graduation, Bowie plans on securing their future in tattooing by apprenticing at a shop. 

As for Ziggy, he plans on one day getting a full fursuit.