The Butter Cow, an annual attraction at the Iowa State Fair since 1911, was doused in red paint and the words "Freedom For All" were written on the glass window of the display case on Sunday.
Iowans for Animal Liberation, an activist group possibly associated with the Animal Liberation Front, has claimed that they were responsible for the vandalization, stating that the paint represents "the blood of 11 billion animals murdered each year."
Sarah Pratt, the butter cow's sculptor, was called in at 4 a.m. to repair the defaced bovine. The statue was cleaned up and ready to go by the time the fair opened at 9 a.m.
No arrests have been made yet, but security has been increased since the incident.
