Ankole-Watusi Cattle – cattle of kings

ANKOLE – Watusi cattle are the show-stoppers of the bovine kingdom.

Medium-sized animals, with long, large-diametre horns, they attract attention wherever they appear. These regal animals can easily trace their ancestry back more than 6 000 years and have often been referred to as “cattle of kings.”

The History of an Ancient Breed

Long-horned, humpless domestic cattle were well established in the Nile Valley by 4000 BC. These cattle, known as the Egyptian or Hamitic Longhorn, appear in pictographs in Egyptian pyramids. Over the next twenty centuries (2 000 years), the Egyptian Longhorn migrated with its owners from the Nile to Ethiopia, and then down to the southern reaches of Africa.

Breed Characteristics

The Ankole-Watusi should appear elegant, well-bred, and graceful. A straight topline and a sloping rump are required; a neck hump is preferred, but not required. Cattle may be solid or spotted in colour. Horns are long and symmetrical, with a base large and proportional to horn length. Lyre and circular shapes are preferable to flat. The Ankole-Watusi is medium in size, with cows weighing 900 to 1200 pounds and bulls weighing 1000 to 1600 pounds. Newborn calves weigh 30 to 50 pounds. This small birth-weight makes Ankole-Watusi bulls useful for breeding to first-calf-heifers of other breeds. During the day, calves sleep together, with an “auntie” cow for protection. At night, the herd-members sleep together, with the calves in the centre of the group for protection. The horns of the adults serve as formidable weapons against any intruders.

The milk is about 10% fat. Some dairy farmers have used cross-bred Ankole-Watusi cows in their herds to boost the butter-fat levels.

Because they were developed in a climate where daily temperatures may range from 20 to 120 degrees F, Ankole-Watusi tolerate temperature and weather extremes well.

The large horns act as radiators; blood circulating through the horn area is cooled and then returned to the main body. This allows excess body heat to be dispersed.

Breed Status

The Ankole Watusi International Registry adopted a breed standard in 1989. This has been an important part of the Registry’s programme to encourage animal scientists to take this unusual breed seriously, instead of treating it as a curiosity.

Three meat studies have been done in the last five years, and the results have been good for the breed. Ankole-Watusi meat has been demonstrated to contain very low fat and to have lower cholesterol than other commercial beef. These studies will continue, because the AWIR

has the establishment of utility value as a high priority. This will be a way to protect the market for breeding stock as “curiosity” prices begin to disappear.

– http://www.ansi.okstate.edu

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