Arty cow goes missing in Prague

The cow (pictured) was supposed to raise money for children

Thieves have stolen a life-sized cow sculpture from central Prague.

The brightly-coloured fibreglass cow was part of the Cow Parade, an international event that has visited more than 18 cities around the world.

The cow, worth 2,850 euros ($3,437), was stolen at the weekend and is still missing, organiser Martin Racman told BBC News Online.

The missing cow was intended for auction at the end of the parade, to raise money for children's charities.

More than 50 cows have been vandalised since the parade began in June, but this is the first one to be stolen.

"We have a lot of damage to the cows, but that is not so big a problem because we can repair them," Mr Racman said.

The stolen cow was taken from Palachovo Square. It was numbered 138, out of 214 cows on display around the capital.

It was among 30 cows planned for auction later this month, before the parade ends in September.

Prague has been particularly badly hit by vandalism compared to events in other cities, blamed in part on foreign tourists.

The exhibition started in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1998 to increase tourism and commerce. Since then it has raised more than $12.8m worldwide for charitable causes.

Cow parades are currently taking place in Manchester and Stockholm.