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In Valais they attract thousands of spectators: the Eringer cow fights. They have been a festival in the canton for almost 100 years. But there are also critical voices condemning these struggles.
It is a small folk festival: around 3,000 spectators follow the spectacle in Grächen as the cows, weighing more than 600 kilograms, stand up to each other. The fights vary between long threatening gestures and wild attacks. With such attacks, the cows push their way through the arena with a roar, while the owners cheer on the side edges.
One of these owners is Carlo Jäger. He leads two cows and an ox to a fight. Jäger says that fighting spirit is part of the animals’ normal behavior. “They occur naturally and serve to determine the hierarchy within the herd.” If a cow doesn’t want to fight, then she doesn’t fight either, explains the 28-year-old. You can’t force the cows to do anything.
Legend:
The owners lead the cows into the ring – after that the animals choose their own opponents.
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He cannot understand criticism of the fights, because the animals would only follow their instincts. In addition, the Herens owes their existence to the fighting: “The Herens breed is not very interesting economically – there are undoubtedly better alternatives. The animals probably only exist thanks to these traditional fights.”
In the middle of the action
In the fight ring between the animals, Angelo Seematter jumps around. As a so-called “discounter” he pays attention to law and order in the arena. “I make sure that several cows don’t attack each other or that the cows don’t get wedged in each other,” explains Seematter.
Even if it looks spectacular, he has never injured himself – even with the animals there are only rarely serious incidents. “In contrast to other well-known animal fights, this is not about life and death, every cow can also avoid the fight.”
Is animal dignity violated?
Sara Furrer is responsible for animal welfare on the premises. The veterinarian checks the health of all animals before the fights and makes spot checks to determine their origin. In her opinion it is a healthy stress for the cows, they would at most have a slight headache the following day, but otherwise nothing. Major injuries are very rare, cut injuries to the horns are the most common.
Legend:
Scratching and showing off: Before the actual fight, the cows often face each other untouched for a long time.
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Andreas Rüttimann sees this in a diametrically different way. The animal rights activist from the organization “Tier im Recht” criticized that the natural behavior of the cows was being exploited for the spectacle of the people. People’s pleasure is in the foreground instead of what is good for the animal. Because the cows would not fight these fights for fun, which is why this artificial setting means unnecessary stress for them.
However, the animal rights activist also believes that this is not the most pressing animal welfare problem – but in his opinion the owners should question the wild fights. “Animal dignity is also about critically appreciating long-established traditions.”