English: The Vechur cow is a rare breed of Bos indicus cattle named after the village Vechoor in Kottayam district of the state of Kerala in India. With an average length of 124 cm and height of 87 cm, it is the smallest cattle breed in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records, and is valued for the larger amount of milk it produces relative to the amount of food it requires. The Vechur animals were saved from extinction due to conservation efforts by Sosamma Iype, a Professor of Animal breeding and Genetics along with a team of her students. In 1989, a conservation unit was started. A Conservation trust was formed in 1998 to continue the work with farmer participation.