Ubre Blanca (c. 1972–1985) was a cow in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

known for her prodigious milk production. The cow, along with the "Cordón de La Habana" coffee plantations, the

Voisin Voisin (French for "neighbour") may refer to: Companies *Avions Voisin, the French automobile company :*Voisin Laboratoire, a car manufactured by Avions Voisin *Voisin (aircraft), the French aircraft manufacturer * Voisin, a Lyon-based chocolat ...

pasture system, and the microjet irrigation system, symbolizes

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...

's efforts to modernize Cuba's agricultural economy. The

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

phrase translates to the English phrase "white udder." Ubre Blanca produced 113 liters (241 pounds) 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 (about 55,090 pounds at 2.27 pounds per liter) in 305 days (one lactation period) ending in February 1982. Both feats were recognized by

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

as world records. The cow was a cross between a

Holstein Holstein (; nds, label=Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of German ...

bull (also known as a dairy cow) and a

zebu The zebu (; ''Bos indicus'' or ''Bos taurus indicus''), sometimes known in the plural as indicine cattle or humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of domestic cattle originating in the Indian sub-continent. Zebu are characterised by a fatty h ...

cow (Indian cow breed that does not produce much milk). The current annual production record is , set by LA-Foster Blackstar Lucy in 1998 at the LaFoster Dairy in

Cleveland, North Carolina Cleveland is a town in the Cleveland Township of Rowan County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 871 at the 2010 census. History The town dates from 1831 but was not incorporated until 1833. The first post office in Cleveland, ...

. In February 2020,

announced the Brazilian cow Marilia surpassed Ubre Blanca's record of milk production in a single day, producing of milk.

Use in Cuban media

Castro referred to Ubre Blanca's prodigious output in speeches as evidence of

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

's superior breeding skills, and the cow's achievements were often printed in Cuban newspapers. On May 21, 2002, ''The Wall Street Journal'' published an article about Cuban attempts to clone Ubre Blanca, in which they reported that Ubre Blanca's sire was actually a Canadian bull. To many Cubans, Ubre Blanca evokes memories of the era before the so-called "

Special Period The Special Period ( es, Período especial, link=no), officially the Special Period in the Time of Peace (), was an extended period of economic crisis in Cuba that began in 1991 primarily due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and, by ext ...

" – the economic collapse that followed the demise of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, Cuba's main benefactor, beginning in 1989.

Death

In 1985, Ubre Blanca was

euthanized Animal euthanasia ( euthanasia from el, εὐθανασία; "good death") is the act of killing an animal or allowing it to die by withholding extreme medical measures. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditi ...

around the age of 13 (the exact age is unknown). 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 Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, where it still remains. Ubre Blanca was honored by her hometown of

Nueva Gerona Nueva Gerona is a Cuban city, capital of the Isla de la Juventud special municipality and province. As of 2012, its population was 59,049. History The city was founded in 1830 by Francisco Dionisio Vives, who was the Spanish governor of Cuba a ...

, which erected a marble statue in memory of the cow. Since the cow's death, Cuban scientists have unsuccessfully attempted to clone Ubre Blanca using frozen tissue samples.

Poem

In the poem ''Ganadería'',

Cuban exile A Cuban exile is a person who emigrated from Cuba in the Cuban exodus. Exiles have various differing experiences as emigrants depending on when they migrated during the exodus. Demographics Social class Cuban exiles would come from various ec ...

and poet

Ricardo Pau-Llosa Ricardo Pau-Llosa (born May 17, 1954 in Havana, Cuba, lived in the United States since December 1960) is a Cuban- American poet, art critic of Latin American art in the US and Europe, art collector, and author of short fiction. Early life and ...

retells the story of Ubre Blanca as an allegory of Castro's rise to power.Pau-Llosa
/ref>

References

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20050418142437/http://asturiasliberal.org/files/ubre.JPG Picture of Fidel Castro with Ubre Blanca
GM watch article
1972 animal births 1985 animal deaths Economy of Cuba Individual cows Agriculture in Cuba Individual animals in Cuba

Use in Cuban media

Death

Poem

See also

References

External links