You may recall in the Art Vibe series, there was a painting with an oversized bull depicted. That was boastful... but there is a breed from France that comes close to being exactly what that image displayed. Meet the Limousin (limb-ooh-sun)...
It is thought that this breed has some of the closest resemblance to the Aurochs that once roamed Europe and are depicted on many cave paintings. It is bred entirely for its meat production, and the great majority of the beef in the UK market (at least) is derived from Limousin stock. This is not what you would call an attractive breed, but it certainly fulfils the utility for which it is farmed.
Working with cattle always demands respect from the farmer, but this breed has been much engineered to bring in docility, which is essential for such a large beast. Handling from the calf stage on a regular basis, right through to breeding and showing, ensures building bonds of trust between handler and animal.
This one is quite huge!
ReplyDeletethat is interesting and yes with watching old drawings, this guy is very close to the fantastic aur
ReplyDeleteHi Yam - I love the idea of aurochs roaming landscape ... incredible range they had ... all across the Eurasian continent. and quite a few auroch remains have been found in the UK. Stunning looking animal - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeletethis one does kind of look like it roamed during the dinosaurs. I could not handle them and kill them.. so ugly he/she is cute..
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's the angle, but because his tail set is so high on his back, it makes his hiney look huge and he's a big boy to begin with!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn’t want to get trapped against a wall by that huge beast!
ReplyDeleteI always thought that limousin(e) was a car.
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