Man Forced to Destroy Nazi-Bred Cattle because of Aggression

An English farmer had to destroy a number of rare cattle because their Nazi heritage made them too aggressive to take care of.

The Guardian reports that Devon, England based farmer Derek Gow has only six cows left from a heard that numbered somewhere in the twenties.

Gow had to destroy the animals because they would attack without provocation, using their enormous horns and strong legs and hooves to lash out at Gow and farm employees.

The cattle are known as Heck Cattle, which were created by two German zoologists named Heinz and Lutz Heck during the rise of Nazi Germany in the 1920s and 1930s. The Guardian reports that the two men bred large, aggressive Spanish fighting bulls with the hopes of recreating the mythical auroch, an extinct species of European cattle. Some influential Nazis wished to see the animals released into the wild.

The Heck brothers bred the strongest and most aggressive cows, leading to an unusually aggressive version of cow.

Although more aggressive than typical cattle, the Heck variety is not that out of place in the bovine family physically speaking. Heck cattle can reach up to 4.5 feet in height and weight 1,300 tons.

Gow brought the animals to the United Kingdom in 2009 as part of a photography project.

Gow says that he tried to find homes for the cattle rather than have them destroyed, but he could not find any takers because the animals were simply too aggressive.

Gow said that he kept the calmest and most tranquil of the Heck cattle in his possession.