‘World’s smallest cow’ draws huge crowds in Bangladesh

The owners of the cow, who ‘isn’t used to interacting with so many people’, have applied for a Guinness Book of Records title

People take pictures of a dwarf cow named Rani at a farm in Bangladesh (Signature Group/SWNS)

The “world’s smallest cow” – as claimed by its owners – has attracted the attention of people in Bangladesh who are flocking to the farm where it lives, defying a nationwide lockdown to curb Covid-19 in doing so.

The 23-month-old cow, named Rani, is 51 centimetres (20 inches) tall and weighs 28kg, according to reports.

Hasan Howladar, manager of the Shikor Agro farm near the national capital Dhaka, has submitted an application with the Guinness World Records, claiming Rani is the world’s smallest cow, the BBC reported. A Guinness team will visit the farm later this year.

The record for the shortest cow is currently held by Manikyam in the Indian state of Kerala. The cow measured 61.1 centimetres (24.07 inches) in 2014.

Mr Howladar bought Rani from another farm last year. He told BBC News that she is kept separate from the herd because she is scared of the other cows and also has walking difficulties.

Kazi Mohammed Abu Sufian, who runs the farm, told Vice that more than 20,000 people came to see Rani this week. He also expressed concerns that the crowds may spread Covid-19.

People gather around Rani, the dwarf cow, to take pictures (AFP/Getty)

Bangladesh on Monday extended a nationwide lockdown by another week as the number of infections and deaths surged. The country recorded 201 Covid-19 deaths on Wednesday, the greatest single-day rise since the pandemic began.

The total fatalities have now crossed 15,000 and the number of infections are at 989,219, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.

Mr Abu Sufian said Rani isn’t too happy about all the people coming to see her. He told Vice: “She is not used to interacting with so many people. She just wants her space to roam around on the farm and eat grass, which she has lost now.”

A domestic cattle standing next to Rani the cow (AFP/Getty)

The farm has now hired three guards to take care of Rani and the owners hope to hand her over to the government saying they will be able to take care of her better.

The government vet for the region has said it’s unlikely that Rani will become any bigger now and that she is a product of “genetic inbreeding”, reported news agency AFP.