Excursion: near Saas Almagell in Valais
If you just want to see the other photos and a two-minute movie clip, go to my overflow site.
Now for something completely different. In the mountains, the cattle are taken up to the highest pastures (alps) in the spring/summer, so that the lower meadows can be used to produce enough hay to last through the winter. This alpine procession can be quite a festive occasion, and these days some communities put up a show to attract tourists. Click here for an interesting BBC From Our Own Correspondent piece about the Alpaufzug (Inalpe in French) and the changes in Swiss farming societies over the last couple of decades.
The special Hérens breed of cows in Canton Valais has a strong sense of hierarchy, and when a bunch of strange cows are brought together, for instance before their procession to the higher meadows, they get into spontaneous fights to establish the pecking order. Banish thoughts of dog-fights or bull-fights from your heads. This is nothing like that. On Saturday, we went to observe some of these fights at a place called Zermeiggern in the Saastal (Saas valley, roughly on the map here). I also made a little video clip, which I've posted over at the overflow site so you can see for yourself what the affair is like. Here's a little about the fights from the Swiss tourism website:
Cow fights take place throughout the region in which the Hérens breed has its home (Central and Lower Valais, Valle d'Aosta in Italy). More than any other breed, these small black cows with short, sturdy horns have retained the instinct to organize themselves into a social hierarchy. That is the reason they fight each other when spring arrives.
In an often fierce contest, it is decided which will be the queen cow leading the herd up to the Alpine meadows. The fights do not take place in organized fashion; each cow simply chooses her opponent on the spur of the moment. She suddenly stops grazing, lowers her head, snorts, and paws the ground with her hooves. If a cow of similar strength accepts the challenge, she wastes no time in informing her opponent in the same manner. Prudently, they approach each other. The fight begins: heads clash and horns lock, each cow trying to get a good hold. Then they stand firmly and push with all their strength, the stronger one forcing the weaker to retreat. After the contest, which may continue for several minutes, the loser turns around and runs away, followed by the winner, who encourages the loser to remember "who's boss" by adding a few more blows with her horns.
To see some more photos and a two-minute movie clip from the event, go to my overflow site.
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6 comments:
Very interesting how the farmers there get the cows off the grass to grow hay. Good photo and narrative.
Excellent post. I mean this is something special to a lot of people who never get to see a cow much less bulls with horns free, more or less, to move about. I really think you deserve an A+ for this post.
Abraham Lincoln
Brookville Daily Photo
Very interesting post Z - and nice photo. I thought we were going to get going on the "alps or Alps" saga again
what a candid capture!!!! and a great informative post too...am glad u mentioned that its nothing like a bull/dog fight ...because for one gory moment i thought that's what it was. and i hope the loser doesn't get hurt too bad !!!
and i thought herbivorous animals were a lot tamer than that!!!! ;)
Thanks for the comments. I would encourage people to take a look at the video. It isn't great documentary photography, but it will give a sense of the way the cows engage in the tussles, one minute grazing away, the next checking out an opponent and then perhaps locking horns and shoving each other. When one of them accepts that the other one is stronger, she'll simply disengage and run off. And as far as I saw, no "winner" ran vindictively after the loser to inflict fatal wounds or anything like that.
I agree with Abraham...very informative and the photo is great!
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