Germany's prettiest cow, Lady Gaga, dies

Holstein dairy cow Lady Gaga, the winner of a string of bovine beauty contests in Germany — has died at the age of 13, her owner said on Friday.

She became something of a star of Germany's dairy sector, having won more than 20 titles at national and international levels since her first competition back in 2013.

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The trade journal Milchrind mourned the passing of the cow after a short illness, describing her as "an icon of the showring."

"She was successful in a way that no cow was before," the journal effused.

Owner Henrik Wille described Lady Gaga as "a once-in-a-lifetime cow."

Born in France, she spent her adult life on a farm in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony.

Although she started her cow-walk career relatively late, the cow more than held her own against younger rivals and only lost her title as Germany's Grand Champion dairy cow in March this year.

Lady Gaga had eight calves in total and produced more than 120,000 liters (31,700 gallons) of milk. She died peacefully in her stall.

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