Big Bertha (17 March 1945 – 31 December 1993) was a cow who held two

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...

: she was the oldest cow recorded, dying just three months short of her 49th birthday, and she also held the record for lifetime breeding, having produced 39 calves. During her lifetime she helped raise $75,000 for

cancer research Cancer research is research into cancer to identify causes and develop strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure. Cancer research ranges from epidemiology, molecular bioscience to the performance of clinical trials to evaluate ...

and other charities.

Life

Big Bertha was born in Ireland on 17 March 1945,

St Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (), is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Chris ...

. Her breed has been given as either Droimeann (a native Irish cattle breed), or Friesian. She was bought at a cattle fair by farmer Jerome O'Leary and lived at his farm near the market town of Sneem in

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

, southwest Ireland. Big Bertha held two

: she was the oldest cow recorded, dying just three months short of her 49th birthday, and she also held the record for lifetime breeding, having produced 39 calves. However, by 2006, the categories had been dropped from the ''

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

''. Due to her record-breaking status, Big Bertha became a local celebrity. Her appearances at cattle fairs helped raise $75,000 for cancer research and other charities, and she would lead the St Patrick's Day parade in Sneem to aid with fundraising. Before her appearances at the noisy parades, O'Leary would feed Big Bertha

whiskey Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from Fermentation in food processing, fermented grain mashing, mash. Various grains (which may be Malting, malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, Maize, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky ...

to steady her nerves. After her death on New Year's Eve 1993, a wake was held for her in a pub, the Blackwater Tavern at Raycoslough, Blackwater, in County Kerry. On Big Bertha's death, O'Leary still had several of her offspring in his herd, the oldest of whom was then 35. Following her death, Big Bertha was stuffed, and now resides at a farm at Beaufort in County Kerry.

References

{{Reflist Individual cows 1945 animal births 1993 animal deaths Animal world record holders Individual animals in Ireland County Kerry