Over hundred cows fought on Sunday (May 6) in the Swiss city of Aproz in Valais canton to be crowned the national queen of 2018.
10,000 people were expected to watch the annual "Battle of the Queens", a traditional Swiss cow-fighting competition, according to the organizers.
Every spring, on their way to the mountain pastures, the Herens cows fight in order to choose a new leader of the herd for the summer. This tradition led to the Herens cow-fighting contest being organised every year by the Swiss Breeding Federation of the Herens Breed in the Swiss region of Valais.
The fight ends as soon as the defeated opponent turns away. Serious injuries are extremely rare.
Hundreds of breeders gathered at the first light of the day, coming from different regions of Switzerland (Vaud, Fribourg, Neuchâtel or Berne). They first need to weigh their cow and after that, a number is attributed to every animal.
The Valais canton is famously know for its cheese and agriculture, which is a big part of the region's economy (it represents 354 millions of Swiss Francs of gross return).
The queen will be crowned late on Sunday (May 6); a good way for her owner to be renowned in the region for the year to come.
