This is a photo I took while on vacation on the Swedish island of Öland in 2006. It shows a heifer of the old-fashioned indigenous breed Rödkulla, which became endangered once cattle breeds became more specialized either for giving milk or for giving beef.

These old-fashioned breeds have never been overly bred for the purpose of being productive in the modern sense of the word, and are generally healthier and better suited for life in general.

This breed was dangerously close to becoming extinct in the 1970's, until people realized the importance in keeping the genetic traits of the older breeds, and work was put into preserving the breed.