Bioran
Strathnaver Museum

Content warning – some visitors may find this object distressing.

This object is known as a bioran. It was placed over the nose of a calf to prevent it from sucking milk from its mother. This was because the milk was wanted for humans. The mother would have been injured by the very sharp spikes if the calf attempted to get milk from her.

Bioran is from the Gaelic word for a stick.