Holy Cow, it's the Battle of the Queens

The Spanish love a good bullfight. And running with blood-crazed bulls, too. In India, we have Jallikattu, a less bloody but no-less adrenalized version of the sport. But the Swiss, besotted with their cows as they are, let the old girls settle scores themselves.

Combats de Reines, or the Battle of the Queens, is most popular in the western canton of Valais, Switzerland. Hefty madames, the toughest of the herd, are brought face to face with each other and instigated to fight. If a cow refuses to fight, she is eliminated from the contest. Often, adequately provoked cows will lock horns, wrestle each other and raise dust. The victor is crowned queen of the herd.

Two Herens cows fight during the annual "Battle of the Queens" cow fight finals in Aproz, on May 11, 2014. Each year when taken to the alpine pastures, the cows test their strength and fight for the herd's leadership. The competition continues until a new queen has forced all the other cows to retreat.