SWITZERLAND: Italian cow wins inaugural competition to be named "queen" bovine

Record ID: 375579

  • Title: SWITZERLAND: Italian cow wins inaugural competition to be named "queen" bovine
  • Date: 7th May 2012
  • Summary: APROZ, SWITZERLAND (MAY 5, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF THE COW FIGHT RING (AUDIO OF COW BELLS) COWS IN THE RING VARIOUS OF COWS FIGHTING / COWS LOCKING HORNS PEOPLE WATCHING THE FIGHT VARIOUS OF COWS FIGHTING PEOPLE WATCHING THE FIGHT COW THE FINAL BATTLE AND THE WINNING COW "173" CALLED "MERLITTA" (SOUNDBITE) (French) OWNER OF THE WINNING COW, AURELIO CRETIER, SA
  • Embargoed: 22nd May 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Switzerland
  • Country: Switzerland
  • Topics: Environment,Quirky,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA9YJMLW3WARKICSBCYO1W0RYSE
  • Story Text: The Spaniards have their bullfights, the inhabitants of the island of Bali have their cock fights and in Switzerland heavy size cows are sent into rings to fight each other.
    This was the case when cow fight enthusiast flocked to the mountainous village of Aproz in the Swiss valley of Valais on Saturday (May 5) to follow the first international combat between 100 bovines from Italy, France and Switzerland fighting each other with their horns and pushing each other with their powerful bodies.
    The first cow to win the international title as "Queen of Mont Blanc", was the Italian cow "Merlitta", owned by breeder Aurolio Cretier from The Aosta Valley in Italy.
    "I feel at the top of the world because I always came to Switzerland to see the cow fights, and now to have won one in Switzerland, that's top", Cretier told Reuters Television.
    The cows that weigh from 500 kilos up to over a ton and have a lively temper are brought into the ring in groups, where they naturally fight each other for domination of the herd to choose the "queen" who gets to walk in front of the group all summer.
    Wounds or serious bruises are rarely seen on the cows. These living fighting machines push each other with their heads, with any cow backing off being eliminated till one cow is left standing in the ring.
    The traditional cow fight popularly called "the fight of queens" started in the 1920's in the Valais valley and has developed to become a popular event in the springtime as the cows get ready to spend the summer season outdoors.
    The neighbouring regions around the Mont Blanc mountain, the Aosta Valley in Italy and the French regions of Savoie and Haute-Savoie, share the same traditions and also breed the Heren cows.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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