This Weird Year in Asia: are these the strangest tales of 2021?

A 27-inch Bangladeshi cow, a Nazi-themed host bar, ‘bored’ perverts in Japan and a Pakistani barber who uses meat cleavers and a blowtorch

These are just some of the strange stories that raised our eyebrows in an already weird year. Erika Na has the lowdown

Reading Time:7 minutes

Rani, the world’s smallest cow and her owner in Nabinagar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photo: Reuters

Published: 8:30am, 30 Dec 2021Updated: 8:42am, 30 Dec 2021

2021 has been a tough 12 months. The world is now two years into living through a global pandemic, with all the lockdowns, outbreaks and travel restrictions that come with it and – especially with the emergence of the new Omicron variant – there appears to be no end in sight to this crazy ride.

In such serious times, it can be important to take a break from all the doom and gloom.

With that in mind, This Week in Asia has compiled some of the year’s stranger news stories – from the world’s smallest cow to Nazi-themed bars in Japan to Blackpink singer Lisa’s favourite Thai meatballs – with the aim of lightening up your end of year mood.

Moo-ving tale of the tiny cow

In July, Rani, a dwarf cow in Bangladesh’s Manikganj district measuring 57 pounds (26kg) in weight, 27 inches (69cm) tall and 20 inches (51cm) wide – was awaiting confirmation from Guinness World Records that she was the world’s smallest cow.

The petite, white bovine was born in 2019 and her owner, Kazi Mohammed Abu Sufian, had patiently waited two years for her to grow to her fullest before contacting Guinness to introduce them to the potential new title holder.

“She acts like a queen, and always loves to remain clean,” Abu Sufian told The Washington Post, while awaiting the official verdict.

Sadly, in August, just a month after Rani became an internet celebrity she passed away from a stomach issue.

Still, there was a happy ending of sorts. After Rani’s death, Guinness recognised officially what her owner had always suspected: that she was indeed the world’s tiniest cow.