A Brazilian Viatina-19 FIV Mara Movéis, a three-year-old Nelore cow breed has entered Guinness World Records as the most expensive cow ever sold at auction.
Worth over $4 million (around R75 million), that is, three times more than the last record-holder’s price, Viatina-19 weighs 1,100 kilograms (more than 2,400 pounds) and she is twice as heavy as an average adult of her breed.
According to Guinness World Records, the snow white in colour cow went for an impressive price of R$21,000,000 (£3.33 million; $4.38 million) at Elo de Raça Auction in Arandú, São Paulo, Brazil.
“The recent sale of Viatina-19 FIV Mara Imóveis has brought to light the undeniable worth of purebred Nelore cattle in Brazil, showcasing the immense value that top-tier genetic specimens hold in the market,” read a statement by Guinness World Records.
The cow is now under continuous surveillance by security cameras and a veterinarian, with an armed guard on duty around the clock at the farm near Uberaba in Minas Gerais, where she is being kept, recorded NBC.
“She is the closest to perfection that has been attained so far, she’s a complete cow, has all the characteristics that all the proprietors are looking for,” said her veterinarian Lorrany Martins.
Along a highway through Brazil’s heartland, Viatina-19’s owners have erected two billboards celebrating her magnificence and inviting ranchers, curious locals, and busloads of veterinary students to make pilgrimages to see the supercow.
Passing on the genetic characteristics
The exorbitant price of the cow is attributed to her rapid muscle gain, high fertility, and the ease with which she passes these traits to her offspring.
Martins explained that to achieve this, eggs and semen are collected from champion animals to create embryos, which are then implanted in surrogate cows.
She also mentioned that Viatina-19’s egg cells are sold for $250,000 to those interested in superior livestock genetics.
“When bidding for similar cows, attributes such as posture, hoof strength, docility, maternal ability, and overall beauty make them more desirable.,” said Martins.
From India to Brazil
In Brazil, 80% of the cattle population consists of Zebus, a subspecies originally from India, characterized by their distinctive hump and folds of skin on the neck known as a dewlap. Viatina-19 is part of the Nelore breed, which is primarily raised for meat rather than milk and constitutes the majority of Brazil’s cattle.
Zebus first arrived in Brazil during the latter half of the 19th century and quickly proved to be more resilient than European breeds. They adapted well to the intense tropical heat, showed resistance to parasites, and gained weight more rapidly. In 1963, a prize-winning Nelore bull named Karvardi was brought over from India.
Today, some breeders still use cryogenically frozen doses of his semen, according to Brazil’s Zebu association. Karvardi’s preserved body, adorned in traditional Indian garments, is displayed in the Zebu Museum in Uberaba, a city in Brazil’s agricultural heartland where Viatina-19 resides.
