The cows are back

The vibrantly coloured cows 'grazed' in parks and on pavements, where tourists snapped photos, children clamoured to climb up on them and thieves plotted attention-getting heists. The cows are back but this time watched by security guards and cameras. Last week, 78 fibreglass cows were settled in eight locations in the city, mostly where they can be watched 24/7.

The company in charge of the public art exhibition, Cow Parade, did not want a repeat of the events of 2000, when cows were defaced with graffiti, had their ears cut off or disappeared from their podiums. In one case, two young men were in the process of loading a painted cow into their Jeep on West Houston Street when the police arrived.