DUNYA NEWS – A four-and-a-half-year-old Nelore cow – Viatina-19 FIV Mara Imóveis – has recently set a new record as the world’s most expensive cow, with a price tag of USD4.3 million. A portion of its ownership was sold for USD1.44 million at an auction in Arandú, Brazil, further solidifying its remarkable total value.
Viatina-19 FIV Mara Imóveis had already been named the world’s most expensive bovine last year when half of its ownership was auctioned off for around USD800,000, which was another record-breaking price at the time.
The record-breaking transaction is indicative of the Nelore cattle breed’s genetic qualities, as well as the demand for high-quality animals with outstanding genetic characteristics.
Viatina-19 FIV Mara Imóveis price is considered a new milestone for the Nelore, a cow breed highly valued all over the world for its qualities.
Characterized by their bright white fur, loose skin, and a large bulbous hump above their shoulders, the Nelore is primarily known for their naturally high resistance to hot weather.
Their white fur plays a big part in this, as it reflects most wavelengths of light, as does the fact that their sweat glands are twice as large and 30 per cent more numerous than those of most European breeds.
Nelore cattle, named after the Indian district of Nellore in Andhra Pradesh, also have a very efficient metabolism, which allows them to thrive even on low-quality forage. Incredibly hardy and resilient, the Nelore can resist a number of parasitic infections and their tough skin is much harder for blood-sucking insects to penetrate.
The breed also breeds very easily, as females have wider pelvic openings and larger birth canals than other cattle breeds, and calves require almost no assistance from humans.
According to a 2018 report by the Guardian, sperm from the most valuable Nelore bulls can cost USD5,000 per 0.55-millilitre dose.
There are around 167,000,000 Nelore cows in Brazil, around 80 per cent of the cattle in the South American country.
