Cattle

is a traditional toy from the Aizu region of Japan that is thought to ward off illness. [Madden, Thomas (May 1992). " [http://www6.plala.or.jp/awia/AizuGlossary.html Akabeko] ". "OUTLOOK". Online copy accessed 18 January 2007.]
*The case of "Sherwood v. Walker" -- involving a supposedly barren heifer that was actually pregnant -- first enunciated the concept of Mutual mistake as a means of destroying the Meeting of the minds in Contract law. Fact|date=June 2007
*The Maasai tribe of East Africa traditionally believe that all cows on earth are the God-given property of the Maasai

Cattle in Hindu tradition

. In ancient rural India every household had a few cows which provided a constant supply of milk and a few bulls that helped as draft animals. Many Hindus feel that at least it was economically wise to keep cattle for their milk rather than consume their flesh for one single meal.

Gandhi explains his feelings about cow protection as follows:

"The cow to me means the entire sub-human world, extending man's sympathies beyond his own species. Man through the cow is enjoined to realize his identity with all that lives. Why the ancient rishis selected the cow for apotheosis is obvious to me. The cow in India was the best comparison; she was the giver of plenty. Not only did she give milk, but she also made agriculture possible. The cow is a poem of pity; one reads pity in the gentle animal. She is the second mother to millions of mankind. Protection of the cow means protection of the whole dumb creation of God. The appeal of the lower order of creation is all the more forceful because it is speechless."

In heraldry

Cattle are represented in heraldry by the bull.

Present status

The world cattle population is estimated to be about 995,838,000 head. India is the nation with the largest number of cattle, about 281,700,000 or 28.29% of the world cattle population, followed by Brazil: 187,087,000, 18.79%; China: 139,721,000, 14.03%; the United States: 96,669,000, 9.71%; EU-27: at 87,650,000, 8.80%; Argentina: 51,062,000, 5.13%; Australia: 29,202,000, 2.93%; South Africa: 14,187,000, 1.42%; Canada: 13,945,000, 1.40% and other countries: 49,756,000 5.00%. [http://www.cattlenetwork.com/Content.asp?contentid=226025 Cattle Population By Country] ] Africa has about 20,000,000 head of cattle, many of which are raised in traditional ways and serve partly as tokens of their owner's wealth.

Cattle today are the basis of a multi-billion dollar industry worldwide. The international trade in beef for 2000 was over $30 billion and represented only 23 percent of world beef production. (Clay 2004). The production of milk, which is also made into cheese, butter, yogurt, and other dairy products, is comparable in economic size to beef production and provides an important part of the food supply for many of the world's people. Cattle hides, used for leather to make shoes and clothing, are another widespread product. Cattle remain broadly used as draft animals in many developing countries, such as India.

ee also

Notes

References

* Bhattacharya, S. 2003. [http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn4220 Cattle ownership makes it a man's world] . "Newscientist.com". Retrieved December 26, 2006.
* Cattle Today (CT). 2006. Website. [http://www.cattle-today.com Breeds of cattle] . "Cattle Today". Retrieved December 26, 2006)
* Clay, J. 2004. "World Agriculture and the Environment: A Commodity-by-Commodity Guide to Impacts and Practices". Washington, D.C., USA: Island Press. ISBN 1559633700.
* Clutton-Brock, J. 1999. "A Natural History of Domesticated Mammals". Cambridge UK : Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521634954.
*cite book|first=Herman R.|last=Purdy|coauthors=R. John Dawes; Dr. Robert Hough|url=http://www.breedsofcattle.net/|title=Breeds Of Cattle|edition=2nd Edition|year=2008 - A visual textbook containing History/Origin, Phenotype & Statistics of 45 breeds.
* Huffman, B. 2006. [http://www.ultimateungulate.com "The ultimate ungulate page"] . "UltimateUngulate.com". Retrieved December 26, 2006.
* Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG). 2005. . [http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=172&fr=1&sts=sss "Bos taurus"] . "Global Invasive Species Database".
* Nowak, R.M. and Paradiso, J.L. 1983. "Walker's Mammals of the World". Baltimore, Maryland, USA: The Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0801825253
* Oklahoma State University (OSU). 2006. [http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle "Breeds of Cattle"] . Retrieved January 5, 2007.
* Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). 2004. [http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/holycow/index.html Holy cow] . "PBS Nature". Retrieved January 5, 2007.
* Rath, S. 1998. "The Complete Cow". Stillwater, Minnesota, USA: Voyageur Press. ISBN 0896583759.
* Raudiansky, S. 1992. "The Covenant of the Wild". New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc. ISBN 0688096107.
* Spectrum Commodities (SC). 2006. [http://www.spectrumcommodities.com/education/commodity/lc.html Live cattle] . "Spectrumcommodities.com". Retrieved January 5, 2007.
* Voelker, W. 1986. "The Natural History of Living Mammals". Medford, New Jersey, USA: Plexus Publishing, Inc. ISBN 0937548081.
* Yogananda, P. 1946. "The Autobiography of a Yogi". Los Angeles, California, USA: Self Realization Fellowship. ISBN 0876120834.

External links

* [http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/beef Beef cattle]
* [http://www.cattlepages.com/facts/ Cattle Facts]