Their coat soon turns blue however and gets darker with the years.
Legend has it that they get their colour from the sea, though in fact they are born almost beige. 'Their worst days are over,' says Arnis Bergmanis, head of the Ciruli animal park in the village of Kalvene, which serves as a breeding facility for the blue cow.īlue cows evolved on the coast, where they led a spartan lifestyle, able to subsist on bush branches and dune grass-fodder considered inedible by other cattle. "If a calf of any colour loses its mother or gets separated, the blue cow will take the calf and raise it as its own," Bergmanis said. Rural innkeepers acquire the cattle as a tourist attraction, while farmers include a token blue cow in their herd for its strong maternal instinct. "We are happy to help every new farmer or guesthouse owner get their own special blue cow," Bergmanis said. Originally found only on the Baltic coast in the Kurzeme region, they are increasingly popular in central areas too. In 2000 there were only 18 blue cows in Latvia, but today they number around 1,500-thoroughbreds as well as hybrids. I'm glad we can help them thrive," he told AFP while examining a baby calf. "Their worst days are over," said Arnis Bergmanis, head of the Ciruli animal park in the village of Kalvene, which serves as a breeding facility for the cattle. The unique and hardy breed, driven to near extinction during the Soviet era, has made a comeback over the last few decades as an unlikely symbol of Latvian national identity.
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