Have you ever seen the blue cow, which exists in Latvia, a symbol of pride in the Baltic states, once endangered, only to begin to multiply rapidly in recent decades and can now be seen everywhere in the Latvian countryside.
Blue Bull nearly extinct
Latvian Blue Cows were originally found on the Baltic Coast of the Kurzem region, and in Soviet times the Soviets did not like Blue Cows because Latvian Blue Cows produced less milk than ordinary cows, for example, each Blue Cow produced 5,000 liters of milk per year, while the popular Holstein cow breed produced 8,000 liters of milk, although blue cows were considered healthier and more nutritious, the Soviets preferred high-yielding cows, so replaced it with more versatile cattle breeds, which produced more beef and dairy products. This led to the near extinction of the Blue Bull, with only a few specimens surviving. By 2000, latvia had only 18 Blue Bulls.
Blue Bull
Saved by a play
No one expected that in the end, the Blue Bull would be saved by a comedy, and before 1970, the Latvian playwright Gunnars Pridde launched the play "Blue Bull", which was a huge success, bringing the Latvian Blue Bull back into public consciousness and becoming a symbol of national identity. By 2006, the Blue Bull Association was formed with the main goal of saving the breed. These measures have effectively ensured the reproduction of the Blue Bull population, and these activities have allowed them to now exceed 1500 heads.
The source of magical blue
Legend has it that the color of the blue cows comes from the sea, but the truth is that they are born almost beige, and gradually changed color over time. The gene that gradually changes the fur of a blue cow to a dark blue color also affects the meat of the animal, resulting in a particularly black beef that makes some beef lovers a little disgusted. Not only does the Latvian Blue Bull look cool, but it is more resilient than most breeds and is able to live outdoors all year round, even during winter frosts, which many other cattle breeds cannot tolerate. It is also clearly resistant to bovine leukemia viruses, which may help scientists identify a gene that could benefit other dairy cow breeds in the future, and that's the story of the Blue Cow.
Beige cow
Blue sea
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The good-looking Blue Bull, who was almost extinct, was saved by a drama and successfully counterattacked to become a symbol of the country