Introduction: Seven Cows

For some good general books on the relationship between cattle and humanity check out these books:

Catrin Rutland, The Cow: A Natural and Cultural History (Princeton University Press, 2021)

Hannah Velten, Cow (Reaktion Books, 2007)

The real Elsie the cow or Lobelia

Here’s the list of our 7 top cows and some resources

:

1. The wall paintings in Lascaux of ancient aurochs

2. Chillingham Cattle

3. Mrs' Oleary’s Cow

   For more on this, you can check Karen Sawisla, Smoldering City: Chicagoans and the Great Fire, 1871-1874 and Richard F. Bales, The Great Chicago Fire and the Myth of Mrs. O'Leary's Cow.

4. Elsie the Cow

5. Bodacious Bull

6. The first cow with BSE

7. The first cultured hamburger

We also mentioned the relationship between cattle farming and climate change, which wasn’t really discussed at COP26. You can read some more about that here:

Farming at COP26

Cows and climate crisis