When you saw this cow, what did you think of first?
Toned Belgian Blue Bull
May be surprised at why the muscles of cattle can be so developed, is it said that they secretly drank "protein powder". Or guess whether it is late PS, because how can a cow look so "outrageous"?
In fact, this kind of cow really exists, and its scientific name is called the Belgian Blue Bull.
Fitness people use protein powder to build muscle
So, how was the Belgian Blue Bull born? Why does it grow so strong? Does this muscle make it an "elite of the cattle"? What is the difference between it and ordinary cattle?
It turns out that the Belgian Blue Bull is not a "natural product" and humans have interfered in its natural breeding process, just to eat its meat! Why does it also point out that the stronger the Belgian Blue Bull, the more it suffers?
A full and delicious steak
The birth of the Belgian Blue Bull
The Belgian Blue Bull originates in Belgium, but it is true that it is not naturally bred, but a new breed obtained through human intervention and hybridization. This cow also has a nickname called "Devil's Rib Beef Cow", and I have to say that this title is indeed very much in line with its appearance. As the strongest cow in the world, everyone may think that the temperament of the Belgian blue bull should also be very "hot", but on the contrary, in fact, the temperament of this cow is very docile.
In the 19th century, people in north-central Belgium crossed local cattle with shorthorn cattle from Britain and Charlotte cattle from France in the hope of obtaining a new breed.
British shorthorn cattle
Finally, in 1950, humans used inbreeding technology to successfully make a "mutated gene" in this breed an inevitable feature, making it more muscular and the meat production performance more excellent. So everyone should understand that the birth of the Belgian Blue Bull is actually deliberately done by humans, and it is indeed through inbreeding that some of its "defects" are permanently retained.
Ironically, the flaws that make the Belgian Blue Bull miserable are sought after, because in this way, it can be raised for greater benefits. At present, the Belgian blue cow has become a "pure beef cattle" breed, because of its strong meat production, it has been promoted to many countries for breeding.
French Charlotte cattle
Judging from the pictures, this cow is indeed "big" and feels that it looks much taller than ordinary cows. Not only that, but because the muscles in the waist, hips and back are too prominent, even if the cow has a coat, it looks like it is "naked", of course, in this case, its muscles are more obvious.
It is reported that the average weight of the bull of this cow can reach 1200 kg when it reaches adulthood, and the cow is lighter, only about 725 kg. The important thing is that the height of the bull's shoulder is also about 148 centimeters, imagine such a tall, large, muscular cow coming to you, afraid that people who don't understand it will have goosebumps and think they have encountered some mutant.
Adult women look particularly petite in front of the Belgian Blue Bull
However, farmers like these cattle because they not only grow fast, but also have high meat production performance, and can help humans get the most benefits in the shortest time. This is really much stronger than those ordinary cattle.
Studies have shown that the muscle of Belgian blue cattle provides 18% to 20% more than other breeds of cattle, and the mutation of the muscle growth inhibitor gene not only makes the Belgian blue cattle muscle abnormally developed, but also affects fat deposition, making their fat 30% lower than other cattle breeds and low cholesterol content.
Angus beef in Scotland
It can be seen that people initially went out of their way to carry out hybrid experiments or inbreeding in order to make the Belgian blue cattle grow stronger and stronger, so that more beef could be provided. Therefore, it is not wrong to say that man intervenes artificially in order to eat its flesh.
Speaking of this, everyone may think that since the Belgian Blue Bull is so strong, it should be no problem to "punch" several people, but is this really the case?
The Belgian Blue Bull, which looks extremely capable
It looks strong, but it's actually painful
Obviously not, although the Belgian Blue Bull looks muscular and very robust, in fact it is still very weak, and may not even be as good as the "old scalper" at the mouth of the village. Why is that? Is it true that the Belgian Blue Bull is stronger and more guilty?
First of all, we need to understand why the Belgian Blue Bull has grown like this, and which gene is in trouble.
According to the study, the gene that mutated in the Belgian Blue Bull is the MSTN gene, which is a "negative regulator" of muscle development, and the word negative needs to be paid attention to. The existence of the MSTN gene is indeed to be able to effectively inhibit muscle development and make organisms in a normal state.
The first case of MSTN gene-edited lake sheep
The MSTN gene, located at the centromere end of chromosome 2, negatively regulates the development of skeletal muscle by inhibiting key factors in the process of muscle development and maturation.
However, humans are not satisfied with this situation because they want the cattle to produce more meat. So they painstakingly left this mutant gene in the body of the Belgian Blue Bull, so that their muscles lost the limitations of the MSTN gene, and began to "release themselves" and grow wildly.
The Hulk with a mutated body
However, the Belgian Blue Bull became very painful because of this, and even said that if its muscles were stronger, its pain would be added to the pain.
Because this cow has obvious precocious characteristics, daily weight gain can reach 1.4 kg, and this rapid development of muscle can cause a load on its body. In this case, the Belgian Blue Bull will suffer from the genetic disease of "muscle hyperplasia", which is caused by the increase in the number of muscle fibers. To put it simply, the heart and lung organs of the Belgian blue bull cannot support its large physique, so the old cattle at the mouth of the village may be able to walk leisurely, but it cannot, because its heart, lungs and kidneys and other organs are very small, or even incomplete.
A scalper pacing leisurely after completing his "work"
Secondly, Belgian Blue Bulls are susceptible to respiratory diseases, alveolar hypoxia, hypoxaemia and other diseases, so they are not as strong as they appear on the surface. This kind of cattle will fall into long-term fatigue as long as they exercise vigorously and cannot recover.
Therefore, farmers rarely give them time to move freely or "move", they just need to stay quiet indoors and eat grass, and constantly "increase muscle" to meet human needs. In this case, the breeding of Belgian blue cattle is also very difficult, the cow is often unable to complete the birth on its own, need human help, and during the pregnancy of the cow, if not carefully cared for, it is easy to miscarry.
Belgian blue cows led by farmers to graze
It can be seen that the life of the Belgian Blue Bull is not happy, although like other cows, it is inevitable to become a delicacy on the human table, but before it is served on the table, it is also very painful.
It is no exaggeration to say that death may be a relief for the Belgian Blue Bull, because it is not only physically tortured when it is alive, but it cannot even have the opportunity to "let the wind and bend" like other cattle.
The cowherd took the old cattle to enjoy nature
Many people may feel that humans do not have to "empathize" with these animals, but then again, these animals do provide us with food and nutrition with life, even if it is "gratitude", can they make them happier in their lifetime?
In fact, in addition to the Belgian Blue Bull, humans have also created some other breeds of cattle through human intervention in natural breeding. These cows do meet the human need for meat or milk, but they are also "disease-ridden".
Cattle provide us with excellent protein
Genetic diseases of cattle
First of all, let's talk about osteosclerosis, a genetic disease also called "marble bone disease", which is caused by too few osteoclasts or dysfunction. Simply put, the increase in bone mass leads to an increased risk of fractures. The disease is common in Angus cattle, and its root cause is a mutation in the SLC4A2 gene. Of course, this kind of cattle has also been crossed with cattle such as shorthorn cattle and Elsha cattle in order to make it better serve humans.
Elsha cattle
The second is crooked tail syndrome, a genetic disorder that also exists in Belgian Blue Bulls, mainly due to increased muscle mass, which leads to short and straight forelimbs and spastic paralysis. Although only about 25% of Belgian Blue Bulls have inherited the disease, it undoubtedly exacerbates their already bulky bodies, making it more difficult for them to live and move.
It is worth mentioning that not all genetic diseases are caused by human behavior.
Hopefully, animals can be treated with kindness
But it is undeniable that humans do use certain "genetic bugs" to breed breeds of their own needs, but these breeds of cattle have always suffered extremely.