Swiss farmer leads cows to water – and onto a boat

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Some cattle have already done four tours of duty on Ufenau. For others it's all new and they feel correspondingly unsure. Stephan Rappo / 13 Photo

Häcki and his 25 helpers fit the chosen cows with bells and halters. 13 Photo

Reto, Josef's son, leads a cow into a trailer. The shore is about 300 metres away. 13 Photo

The adventure begins Stephan Rappo / 13 Photo

The animals are sometimes scared and need to be pulled gently by the halter. 13 Photo

If that doesn't work, it's time to give them a good push. Stephan Rappo / 13 Photo

The cattle are tied to the boat. 13 Photo

Häcki heads to the island. Stephan Rappo / 13 Photo

The journey from Pfäffikon to Ufenau lasts just under ten minutes. Stephan Rappo / 13 Photo

It appears to be a relaxing journey for the animals. 13 Photo

It's a good day to travel - the water is calm. Stephan Rappo / 13 Photo

Poop deck: water isn't the only thing splashing around. Stephan Rappo / 13 Photo

Hitting land. Stephan Rappo / 13 Photo

Disembarking, one by one. 13 Photo

A high-spirited cow heads for the meadow. Stephan Rappo / 13 Photo

Made it! Stephan Rappo / 13 Photo

Mission accomplished: the cows on the meadow, the boat in the boathouse. Stephan Rappo / 13 Photo

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For 29 years, Josef Häcki has been bringing his cows from the “mainland” in Pfäffikon, canton Schwyz, to Ufenau, an island in Lake Zurich, at the beginning of April. They stay on the 11-acre island – the largest in Switzerland that can be reached only by boat – until the end of May.

On UfenauExternal link the cattle eat on the meadow, so the farmer doesn’t have to do any mowing. It’s paradise for the animals: they eat fresh grass, buttercups and dandelions and they can roam around to their heart’s content.

Häcki rents the island, which is owned by Einsiedeln AbbeyExternal link. He is responsible for the forest, meadows and the reeds. The only animals allowed on Ufenau are heifers – female cows that are at least a year old and have not had a calf – so there is no daily milking.

At the end of May, Häcki gathers his livestock and heads back up the mountain in Graubünden. That’s where they spend the summer, before sailing back to Ufenau in autumn.

This reportage won photographer Stephan RappoExternal link the Swiss Press Photo Award 2017External link in the Swiss Stories category.