Vaca toposa

Vaca toposa (toposa cow) is a small, mean looking, skinny cow shown in the fiestas of some typical Spanish towns. The distinction between toposa cows and milking cows is a basic survival skill taught to first-year pre-school children in most schools in the Vega Baja: toposa cows are skinny and very aggressive, while milking cows are fat and peaceful. "Vaca toposa" is the local name in the towns of the comarca of the Vega Baja del Segura in Alicante, Spain (such as Dolores). In other parts of Spain, the name of this type of cow is "vaquilla" (heifer). Luis Garcia Berlanga, a Spanish director directed a Spanish Civil War movie - La Vaquilla (The Heifer)- based on the use of these particular cows in the fiestas.
These celebrations are not related to bullfighting.
The 2007 Dolores Toposa Cow running edition featured some innovations, such as a newly-built stadium in the Municipal Park that will host the running from now on, and a dog-cow fight (see picture 3).

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