ラトビアの象徴、青い牛　絶滅の危機から復活

【カルベンＡＦＰ＝時事】ラトビアの青みがかった牛はかつて希少だったが、今では地方に行けば、茶色や白黒のまだら模様の牛に交じって草を食べている姿を目にするかもしれない。（写真はラトビア・カルベンにあるチルリ動物公園の青い牛）
　青い牛は、旧ソ連時代には絶滅寸前に追い込まれていたが、この数十年で、ラトビアのアイデンティティーを示す意外な象徴として復活した。
　カルベン村にあるチルリ動物公園のアーニス・ベルグマニス園長は、「繁殖に携わることができてうれしいです」と、青い牛の赤ちゃんの様子を確かめながら語った。
　旧ソビエト連邦下では、牛肉や乳製品の大量生産が重視されて一般的な牛が好まれ、青い牛は絶滅寸前に追い込まれた。しかし、１９７０年代に「ザ・ブルー・ワン」という舞台劇が人気を博し、青い牛は、失われつつあったラトビアらしさの象徴となった。
　国内の生息数は２０００年にはわずか１８頭だったが、現在は純血種と交配種を合わせて約１５００頭に。もともとはクルゼメ地方のバルト海沿岸部にしかいなかったが、今では中部でも増えてきた。
　地方では青い牛を観光の目玉にしているところもあり、農家は牛の群れの中に青い牛を加えている。ベルグマニス氏によると、青い牛は母性本能が強いとされ、母牛がいない子牛がいれば、その色にかかわらず、自分の子として面倒を見るようになるという。
　言い伝えによると、牛の青い色は原産地の海に由来するとされている。だが実際は、生まれた時の毛の色はベージュに近く、その後すぐに青みがかっていき、成長するにつれて色が濃くなる。
　色素は筋肉組織にも影響し、肉の色は極めて濃い。牛乳は、ホルスタイン種よりとれる量が少ないが、栄養価は高い。
　青い牛に関する協会の代表を務めるダイガ・シムケビツァ氏は、「青い牛は強くて丈夫で、世話をあまり必要とせず、一年中戸外で生きていけます。他の牛なら耐えられないような冬の間もです」と話した。
　今後は、固有の遺伝子を特定したいとしている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】

〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/01/31-11:37）

Once a rarity, cows with light blue or dark ultramarine hides may again be glimpsed grazing on the Latvian countryside among the regular brown, black or white spotted 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.
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.
Blue cows are unique and wonderful. I'm glad we can help them thrive, he told AFP while examining a baby calf.
In 2000 there were only 18 blue cows in Latvia, but today they number around 1,500 -- thoroughbreds as well as hybrids.
Originally found only on the Baltic coast in the Kurzeme region, they are increasingly popular in central areas too.
We are happy to help every new farmer or guesthouse owner get their own special blue cow, 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.
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.
- Cultural symbol -
Blue 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.
Legend has it that they get their colour from the sea, though in fact they are born almost beige. Their coat soon turns blue however and gets darker with the years.
The pigment also influences the muscular tissue, producing beef that is exceptionally dark, though their numbers have always been too low for meat sales on a mass scale.
When the communists came to power under the Soviet occupation, they put an emphasis on mass production of beef and dairy. They favoured more generic cattle, causing the blue cow to almost go extinct.
But theatre, of all things, saved the day.
Following the highly popular 1970s play The Blue One by Latvian playwright Gunars Priede, the special cattle returned to public consciousness, becoming a symbol of vanishing national identity.
In 2006, farmers, scientists and enthusiasts founded the Blue Cow Association to safeguard the breed.
The government meanwhile offers special subsidies for owners of blue cows.
- 'Strong, independent' -
Blue cows provide less milk than your average cattle -- around 5,000 litres (1,300 gallons) per cow per year compared to 8,000 for the Holstein breed -- but the milk is healthier and more nutritious.
They also stand out for their ability to thrive in harsh conditions, according to Daiga Simkevica, head of the Blue Cow Association.
The strong, independent and robust blue cow can live all year round outdoors, even during the winter frosts, which many other cattle breeds can't endure, she told AFP.
The Blue Cow Association organises seminars for farmers, keeps meticulous records to avoid inbreeding, works to keep the population growing and also does research on the cattle.
In the future we hope to carry out full DNA analysis to identify those genes that are unique to the blue cow, Simkevica said.
We've never had a blue cow catch the bovine leukosis virus, therefore we hope to identify genes that might benefit all other cows too.