An animal welfare group intent on sending a message in support of veganism hid until closing time then poured red paint over the Iowa State Fair’s butter cow. But the damage was quickly scraped away and visitors never knew the iconic sculpture had been damaged. Iowans for Animal Liberation claimed responsibility for the attack in a news release emailed Sunday night, saying members hid in the cavernous Agriculture Building on Saturday night and emerged after the fair closed for the day. They then broke into a refrigerated room where the sculpted cow and other butter sculptures are displayed and poured red paint over the cow.
The words “Freedom for all” were scrawled on a display window.
“The paint represents the blood of 11 billion animals murdered each year in slaughterhouses, egg farms, and dairies,” the group said in the statement. “We intend this action to serve as a wake up call to all who continue to consume meat, dairy, eggs, leather, and all animal products: You are directly supporting suffering and misery on the largest scale the world has ever known.”
Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Scott Bright said Monday that fair staffers discovered the damage Sunday morning. A sculptor scraped off damaged sections of the cow and reapplied new butter while other workers cleaned off paint elsewhere in the room.
The display area, which this year also features a sculpture of Abraham Lincoln and a depiction of the Lincoln Highway that crosses Iowa, opened as usual at 9 a.m. Sunday.
The cow, which is made with about 600 pounds of butter covering a wood and metal frame, has been a part of the fair since 1911. The butter is reused for up to 10 years.