Rare Cow Born on Big Island

A rare Lakenvelder dairy cow was born on the Big Island of Hawai‘i on Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018.

A video posted on YouTube by Jonathan Wright shows the baby calf resting in Kea‘au.

VIDEO: Dutch Belted Lakenvelder baby calf resting in Kea‘au.VC: Jonathan Wright 

“The Dutch Belted breed is, according to records, the only belted breed of cattle tracing back directly to the original belted or “canvassed” cattle which were described in Switzerland and Austria,” according to the Oklahoma State University Animal Sciences Department. “These “Gurtenvieh” were evidently moved by Dutch nobility from the mountain farms of Canton Appenzell and Tyrol Mountains during or soon after the feudal period.

The Dutch were very protective of their belted cattle and would generally not part with them. They were highly prized for their milking and fattening abilities. The breed began to flourish in Holland around 1750. (This historical account is found in Professor Raymond Becker’s book, Dairy Cattle Breeds: Origin and Development.)