Ubre Blanca Explained

Ubre Blanca
Species:Cattle
Breed:Holstein / Zebu hybrid
Gender:Female
Birth Date:1972
Death Date:1985
Death Cause:Euthanasia
Nationality:Cuba
Known For:High milk production

Ubre Blanca (c. 1972–1985) was a cow in Cuba known for her prodigious milk production. The cow, along with the "Cordón de La Habana" coffee plantations, the Voisin pasture system, and the microjet irrigation system, symbolized Fidel Castro's efforts to modernize Cuba's agricultural economy. The Spanish phrase Spanish; Castilian: ubre blanca translates to the English phrase "white udder."

Ubre Blanca produced 109.5 liters of milk on a single day in January 1982 – more than four times a typical cow's production. The cow also produced 24,268.9 liters of milk in one lactation period ending in February 1982.[1] Both feats were recognized by Guinness World Records as world records; either record wouldn't be beaten by another cow until after Ubre Blanca's death.[2] [3] The cow was a cross between a Holstein and a zebu.[4]

Use in Cuban media

Castro referred to Ubre Blanca's prodigious output in speeches as evidence of communism's superior breeding skills, and the cow's achievements were often printed in Cuban newspapers.[5] To many Cubans, Ubre Blanca evokes memories of the era before the so-called "Special Period"[6]  – the economic collapse that followed the demise of the Soviet Union, Cuba's main benefactor, beginning in 1989.

Death

In 1985, Ubre Blanca was euthanized around the age of 13 (the exact age is unknown).[7] The cow's death was commemorated by Communist Party newspaper Granma with a full obituary and eulogy. Taxidermists stuffed Ubre Blanca and put the body in a climate-controlled glass case at the entrance to the National Cattle Health Center, a 45-minute drive from old Havana, where it still remains. Ubre Blanca was honored by her hometown of Nueva Gerona, which erected a marble statue in memory of the cow.[8] Since the cow's death, Cuban scientists have unsuccessfully attempted to clone Ubre Blanca using frozen tissue samples.[9]

Poem

In the poem Ganadería, Cuban exile and poet Ricardo Pau-Llosa retells the story of Ubre Blanca as an allegory of Castro's rise to power.[10]

See also

References

  1. Web site: Acosta . Dalia . 14 October 2002 . Still a Dream to Clone Miracle Cow . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110228053124/http://www.tierramerica.net/2002/1014/iacentos.shtml . 28 February 2011 . 18 March 2024 . Tierramerica.
  2. Web site: Santos . J.E.P. . Bisinotto . R.S. . Ribeiro . E.S. . Lima . F.S. . Greco . L.F. . Staples . C.R. . Thatcher . W.W. . Applying nutrition and physiology to improve reproduction in dairy cattle . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319030243/https://agrilife.org/afridairycowfertility/files/2014/03/Santos_2010_Repro_Dom_An_67_387_404.pdf . 19 March 2024 . 19 March 2024 . agrilife.org . 2.
  3. Web site: 12 March 2020 . Brazil: Cow breaks world record for milk production . https://web.archive.org/web/20230902161831/https://www.dairyglobal.net/dairy/milking/brazil-cow-breaks-world-record-for-milk-production/ . 2 September 2023 . 18 March 2024 . Dairy Global.
  4. News: Coman . Julia . 22 June 2002 . Desperately short of milk, Cuba tries to resurrect a hero of the revolution . https://web.archive.org/web/20230629220343/https://www.smh.com.au/world/desperately-short-of-milk-cuba-tries-to-resurrect-a-hero-of-the-revolution-20020622-gdfe0e.html . 29 June 2023 . 18 March 2024.
  5. Web site: Funes Monzote . Reinaldo . 25 February 2019 . Ubre Blanca and the Politics of Milk in Socialist Cuba . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319033848/https://oxfordre.com/latinamericanhistory/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199366439.001.0001/acrefore-9780199366439-e-577 . 19 March 2024 . 19 March 2024 . Oxford Research Encyclopedia.
  6. News: Fritsch . Peter . May 21, 2002 . Udderly Fantastic: Cuba Hopes To Clone Its Famous Milk Cow . live . https://archive.today/?run=1&url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1021927734453270880 . August 19, 2024 . Aug 12, 2024 . The Wall Street Journal.
  7. News: 1 March 1985 . Productive Cuban Milk Cow Dead at 13 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230629202521/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-03-01-mn-23623-story.html . 29 June 2023 . 19 March 2024 . Los Angeles Times.
  8. News: Karp . Myles . 10 May 2018 . The History of Cuba's Ongoing Obsession with Ice Cream . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240306153246/https://www.vice.com/en/article/mbkje8/history-of-ice-cream-cuba-fidel-castro-ubre-blanca-coppelia . 6 March 2024 . 19 March 2024 . Vice.
  9. News: Fritsch . Peter . De Cordoba . Jose . 21 May 2002 . Udderly Fantastic: Cuba Hopes To Clone Its Famous Milk Cow . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230505095207/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1021927734453270880 . 5 May 2023 . 18 March 2024 . The Wall Street Journal.
  10. Web site: Pau-Llosa . Ricardo . Poetry Publications . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110715053029/http://www.pau-llosa.com/PoetryPublications.html . 15 July 2011 . 18 March 2024 . pau-llosa.com.

External links

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