At the State Fair of Texas, you can't miss towering Big Tex or the massive slabs of chicken-fried everything. But there are little treasures, too. Wander out into cattle barns and you might stumble on a creature called a zebu, a breed of miniature cow.
KERA’s vice president of news Rick Holter sat down with Dottie Love, a woman who's shown them at the State Fair for a decade now.
Interview Highlights: Dottie Love ...
…on zebus' journey to America: "All the zebu are cows with humps, basically. And they originated in Mesopotamia along with all cows and developed in the eastern subcontinent as well as Africa. What I believe is they came over with circuses and zoos simply as novelties."
…on whether zebu rodeos are an option: "The problem is, the weight can only go up to about 100 pounds or so, which means: kids. Kids aren't quite as expendable as they used to be so we have few dads and moms that say 'go on, get out there an ride them.'"
…on her husband officiating a wedding at the State Fair: "Right in front of Big Tex. He decided that it was better to ask forgiveness than get permission. So we just simply like a mass mob gathered around there and Tom did the ceremony. I mean it was pretty wonderful."
