Two Herens cows lock horns during the qualification round of the annual “Battle of the Queens” cow fight finals in Aproz, in the western Alpine canton of Valais May 5, 2013. 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. (Photo by Valentin Flauraud/Reuters)

A young Hindu priest crawls under a cow as part of worship rituals during Tihar festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, October 30, 2016. Cows are considered sacred to Hindus and are worshipped during Tihar festival, one of the most important Hindu festivals dedicated to the Goddess of wealth Laxmi. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)

“Slow”. A calm cow in the messy streets of Jodhpur. Photo location: India. (Photo and caption by Matthias Troeger/National Geographic Photo Contest)

A cow is seen on land that used to be under water, at the Aculeo Lagoon in Paine, Chile, May 14, 2018. (Photo by Matias Delacroix/Reuters)

A cow carrying a bell and autumn flowers headgear walks by in front of spectators at the traditional cattle show in Schwellbrunn, Switzerland, 26 September 2022. The traditional show in the Appenzell region is held annually in autumn, when local farmers return from the alp with their groomed and cleaned cows to present them on a show ground. “The most beautiful and best performing cows are awarded prizes”, the Appenzellerland tourism office adds on their website. (Photo by Gian Ehrenzeller/EPA/EFE)

A cow is silhouetted grazing next the smoke of a chimney of an incineration plant in Lausanne at sunrise on November 19, 2021. (Photo by Fabrice Coffrini/AFP Photo)

A cow covered with foam scavenges in the waste left on the banks of the polluted Yamuna river in New Delhi on October 10, 2020. (Photo by Sajjad Hussain/AFP Photo)

The legendary US photographer’s favourite shots of creatures and how they interact with humans feature in “Animals”, his latest book. Here: A boy rests against a cow, Kathmandu, Nepal, 2013. “Cows have been designated the national animal in Nepal. They roam freely, and are considered sacred by the 80% of Nepalis who are Hindu”. (Photo by Steve McCurry/The Guardian)