A GALICIA city has argued that the north-western region has no zebras, but plenty of cows – and this should be reflected in their pedestrian crossings.
Stripes have been swapped for random patches on a street in the provincial capital of A Coruña – of the same name – after a dairy firm was given permission by the city council to repaint it.
The Casa Grande de Xanceda farm in Mesía (A Coruña province), 54 kilometres south of the city and home to 380 grazing cows who produce organic yoghurt for the national market, applied to the council to paint a 'cow crossing' instead of a 'zebra crossing' in tribute to these valuable animals.
And the Friesian cow pattern appeared on the street after a night's work.
With half of Spain's milk being produced in this one region, paying homage to cows is not merely a Hindu prerogative: just like in India, where the female bovine is sacred, Galicia also revers these animals, although for financial rather than faith regions; in north-western Spain, cows are essential to many humans' survival.
But Galicia and India alike consider the cow a 'symbol of peace', according to the farm behind the new 'cow crossing'.
In fact, 63 villages in rural Galicia have more cows than people, as does the region itself on average – with nearly a million of these animals in 'residence', the cow headcount equates to 2.7 per human.
And over 8,400 professional farming families are in the dairy business.
Despite the Friesian cow's markings providing the inspiration for the 'cow crossing', the species is not native to Galicia – but the majority of bovine inhabitants are indeed Friesian, says Casa Grande de Xanceda's marketing manager Jessica Rey.
She says the farm – which prides itself on 'breeding happy cows' – does not want the A Coruña crossing to be the only 'cow' one, but hopes it will serve as inspiration for other parts of the region.
The dairy industry is 'a source of employment and development' in the region, Sra Rey says, and without cows, rural Galicia's ongoing human exodus would be 'much more agonising'.
