Not far from the capital Dhaka is the cattle farm of Hassan Khovladar. For the past two years, tourists have been flocking there en masse. Rani, an unusual cow, lived on the farm. People wanted to pet the cow and take pictures with her.
Zoologists and veterinarians came, curious about the phenomenon. The animal claimed to be the smallest cow in the world. It did not fit any of the common definitions of the term „bovine”.
Keeping her small and the reason for her dwarfism.The Rani is a ruminant mammal descended from the local common cattle breed of Bhutan, or Bhutty. When she was born, her short stature became apparent immediately. At the age of 2, Rani weighed 28 kg.
Normal cows, when they become adults, reach a weight of about 700 kg or more. She had no milk. The height from the hoof to the withers was 51 cm. Rani was white in color. The animal had difficulty walking due to pain in the joints of its limbs. She was kept away from the herd.
She hasn’t eaten much. Twice a day he was given straw and bran. The dwarf cow was very affectionate and curious. She liked to walk in the farmyard. The reason for its height was inbreeding. Inbreeding between parents results in abnormal external and internal traits in the offspring.
Miraculously, the baby survives. With similar parameters, the death of offspring usually occurs. Reproductive functions, the continuation of the species, are absent in these individuals. Nature blocks the genetic anomaly.
Before Rani, the title of the smallest cow in the world belonged to a representative of the dwarf breed called Vechur. The record holder lives in Manikyamu, Kerala, India. She was honored in June 2014.
Her recorded dimensions are 61.1 cm (at the age of 2), which is almost 10 cm more than that of the „blonde” Rani. The cause of the cow’s death was determined to be overfeeding. The stomach, whose structure is complex, accumulated gas from excess food.
Rani may have had a pathology of the organ and it failed in its function. A 4.5 kg calf would be born in the United States, which is ten times the weight of normal newborn cows. But the affectionate Rani made history, albeit posthumously.
