Fact Check

Is This the World's Smallest Cow?

A 20-inch-tall cow in Bangladesh has become a major tourist attraction.

Published July 8, 2021

 (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Image Via Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images
Claim:
Rami, a 20-inch-tall cow in Bangladesh, is the smallest cow in the world.

In July 2021, photographs and videos started circulating on social media that supposedly showed the world's smallest cow, a 51 centimeters (20 inches) tall dwarf cow in Bangladesh named Raani (possibly spelled Rani):

This is a genuine photograph of a very small cow in Bangladesh. It was taken by Munir Us Zaman, and is available via Getty Images with the caption:

A dwarf cow named Rani (bottom), whose owners applied to the Guinness Book of Records claiming it to be the smallest cow in the world, walks next to a goat at a cattle farm in Charigram, about 25 km from Savar on July 6, 2021.

While this is a genuine photograph of a dwarf cow, Raani has not yet been officially declared the world's smallest cow. But Raani's owner, Abu Sufian, has already filed paperwork with the Guinness Book of World Records.

Sufian said: "Guinness has acknowledged our entry and will be doing an independent verification, but we are confident that Raani will get the award."

At the time of this writing, the official record holder for world's smallest cow (or world's shortest cow) belongs to Manikyam, a 61-centimeter-tall cow in India that has held the record since June 2014.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=walK6YEmFUU

Raani is certainly smaller than Manikyam and it seems likely that this itty-bitty bovine will soon be crowned the world's smallest cow.

Raani, a Bhutti or Bhutanese cow, is reportedly 23 months old. France 24 reports that the other Bhuttis on this farm near Charigram in Bangladesh are more than twice Raani's size.

France 24 reports:

Rani is a Bhutti, or Bhutanese, cow which is prized for its meat in Bangladesh. The other Bhuttis on the farm are twice Rani's size.

"We did not expect such huge interest. We did not think people would leave their homes because of the worsening virus situation. But they have come here in droves," the manager said.

Sajedul Islam, the government's chief vet for the region, said Rani is a product of "genetic inbreeding" and was unlikely to become any bigger.

Raani has become a popular tourist attraction, with thousands of people flocking to this farm to catch a glimpse of potentially the world's smallest cow.

Below is a video report from WION, a news outlet covering southern Asia:


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Dan Evon is a former writer for Snopes.