Activists for animal rights raise warnings. - Violent bovine confrontations in Switzerland
This popular event has been happening since 1922 and is marketed as a showcase of authentic Swiss tradition in tourism advertisements. However, animal rights group PETA views it as a ridiculous affair.
The "National Final of the Hérens Breed" marks the culmination of a number of battles between these cows. The event's organisers argue that these fights are a natural way for Hérens cows to assert dominance and rank among themselves. They usually cause no harm to the animals.
PETA concurs that Hérens cows do establish a strict dominance hierarchy, but it's humans who turn this intrinsic behaviour into a spectacle for their amusement: "To ensure an entertaining fight, cows are sometimes trained for years to engage in combat. Some animals even have to participate in multiple fights in a row, where they battle by smashing their heads together. When their horns clash, they can potentially cause harm to themselves."
Another practice that animal rights activists find repulsive is that pregnant cows must take part in these competitions after the Alpine cattle drive in the fall. These cows spend the winter on farms, tethered and with very limited exercise: "This painful method of husbandry is the main cause of these violent fights and sometimes severe injuries when the animals meet in the exercise yard."
Despite the concerns raised by PETA, most spectators continue to be drawn to the tourist advertising, which promises "a once-in-a-lifetime experience immersed in real tradition and local delicacies."
But that's not how PETA sees it: "Cows don't naturally engage in fights in the wild, but only when it's necessary. It's not fun for them. While these contests are based on natural behaviour, in this forced and staged setting, they constitute animal cruelty."
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Source: symclub.org
