Fidel Castro and his miracle cow (8 photos)

Despite their love for dairy products, Cubans have always experienced a shortage of milk. Neither scientists, nor farmers, nor entrepreneurs of the highest level of intelligence could solve this problem. Only one unique cow was able to satisfy the hunger of millions of people and, of course, their leader.





Her name was Ubre Blanca. With her titled white udder, the horned beauty single-handedly revolutionized dairy farming in Cuba, albeit temporarily. This cow became so famous that her name will be pronounced with delight, holding your breath for several decades to come.

How it all began



Fidel Castro became the leader of Cuba in January 1959. He was a brilliant politician. But not only that. Castro loved dairy products.

The CIA found out about this and used his gastronomic addiction to assassinate the leader several times. In the mid-60s of the last century, a poison pill was placed in the freezer of the Habana Libre Hotel. It was there that Castro drank his chocolate milkshake every day. The poison was supposed to be added during the preparation of the drink. However, the attempt failed: the pill froze to the wall of the freezer and broke when removed.





Thus, the dairy industry received a boost. The leader's passion was now transformed into official state policy. Giant cafes appeared on every corner, and Camembert cheese became fashionable in diplomatic circles. Cubans wanted more and more milk, but the system could not meet their demands. The local Zebu cows could not produce enough to satisfy the population's needs. Castro brought in highly productive Holstein cows from Canada, but they could not survive in the tropical climate.



When all the measures taken proved ineffective, Castro ordered artificial crossbreeding of animals to develop a new Cuban breed that would not only be hardy but also highly productive. Thanks to this method, a local zebu cow, which gave 1.5 liters of milk, would soon give birth to a calf capable of subsequently giving almost 10 liters. According to Castro's plan, these cows were to be actively bred, and soon multiply into the millions.



As the saying goes, you only have to be right once. And by some amazing coincidence, Castro was right. The only phenomenal cow born from this experiment was in 1972. The calf was named Ubre Blanca. She became his personal project, literally. The cow was raised under Castro's personal supervision in a barn in Neiva Gerona and, as many would say, lived in better conditions than most people. Every day she ate something different, and her milking took place in an air-conditioned room with soft, pleasant music playing to relieve stress and discomfort.



Castro wanted his super cow to break the world record held by American Arlinda Ellen, who had been producing 80 liters of milk since 1975, and to do so, he ordered staff to milk her six times a day and record the numbers. These figures were shown on the daily news for the entire country to see. Sure enough, in July 1982, the cow produced 109.5 liters of milk. Soon after, her total milk output was recorded at 24,269 liters in 305 days - another record.

Ubre Blanca was now a regular feature of Castro's speeches. Her daily life was broadcast on television like a soap opera, which kept the locals from getting bored. The citizens loved the cow. Diplomats and journalists came from all over the world to see this miracle animal.



None of the other cows produced as much milk as Ubre Blanca. This meant that the poor cow was constantly under stress to meet exceptional production and calving standards. After 13 years of hard work every day, her health deteriorated. During her third pregnancy in 1985, Blanca developed complications and was taken to the National Agricultural Health Center in Mayabeque. There, her eggs were frozen for future use. The procedure worsened the growth of the tumour in the sacrum, and the animal had to be euthanised soon after. Its remains still lie embalmed in a glass urn in the centre.



That day, the newspaper published a eulogy. Ubre Blanca's obituary was given a full page. The animal was laid to rest with military honors. Castro soon ordered a statue of his favorite cow erected in the city of Nueva Gerona. When the grief died down, the newspapers turned again to the problem of the milk shortage in Cuba, which continued to mount in the following years.

Dairy products were a luxury in Cuba, subsidized only for children under 7, pregnant women, and the sick. Attempts to remedy the situation continued, but to no avail. In 2002, a project was launched to clone a top-quality cow from Ubre Blanca's genetic material. With high-quality feed shortages, farmers are able to produce low-fat milk at best. Castro's dreams remain just that, dreams.