Cattle

A few days ago, I found myself in a coffee shop nursing my desire for good coffee, when I overheard two young men discussing their passion for farming. How odd, I thought; have you not heard about the drought? Have you spoken to any farmers lately?

Just as I contemplated getting up and steering the conversation in a more sensible direction, it switched to beef, and how much they enjoy eating not just any type of meat, but beef.

Beef is the flesh of Bos taurus, a modern member of the bovinae family, known to you and me as domesticated cattle. Or cows, as my friends in the coffee shop referred to them.

The aurochs (Bos primigenius) is the ancient ancestor to modern cattle. They were once described by Julius Caesar as “…a little below the elephant in size, and of the appearance, colour and shape of a bull”.

Aurochs survived in Europe until 1627 when the last specimen died in Poland.

Aurochs were found in Eurasia (Europe, Siberia and central Asia), India and North Africa. Domestication occurred independently in India and Eurasia between 8 000 and 10 000 years ago.

From the Indian aurochs, subspecies Bos indicine, zebu cattle with humps evolved. The Brahman breed that many Namibians are familiar with is a good example of this subspecies.

From the Eurasian aurochs developed the subspecies Bos taurus taurus, taurine cattle which lacked the hump of bos indicus. Most modern breeds of cattle stems from this subspecies. It includes such well-known breeds as the Hereford, Angus, Holstein, Jersey, Simmental and Wagyu.

The North African aurochs became extinct during the middle ages. Bos taurus africanus or sanga cattle is a hybridisation of domesticated cattle from the Fertile Crescent (Middle East) and wild African aurochs. It is uncertain if the cattle were brought to Africa (most likely via the Horn of Africa) by farmers migrating south or if they were simply traded with African farmers before they inbred with wild African aurochs.

It is also uncertain whether the unique qualities of African cattle such as resistance to trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, evolved in the domesticated cattle or in the wild African aurochs with which they interbred. Sanga cattle originated in East Africa near the shores of Lake Victoria and moved south with migrating farmers.

There are 180 recognised breeds of cattle in sub-Saharan Africa, of which 150 are indigenous breeds. The rest are recently introduced exotic and commercial composites. Zebu or humped cattle constitute the majority of African cattle. Pure Sanga breeds include well-known breeds such as: Afrikaner, Ankole-Watusi, Drakensberger, N’Dama, Fulani and, of course, the Nguni.

Indigenous, humpless cattle (Bos Taurus Taurus) are now found almost exclusively in West Africa, while commercial varieties of taurine breeds and cross-breeds are found all over the continent. Their numbers are small compared to the indigenous breeds, but the drive to improve production by means of hybridisation is causing concern about the future of pure indigenous breeds.

Sanga cattle are adapted to local environmental conditions that are generally unsuitable to exotic breeds of European origin such as high temperatures, long periods of drought and vector-borne diseases.

According to Meatco, Namibia has 25 different breeds of cattle. Sanga cattle are mostly kept in communal farming areas, while commercial farms keep ‘high output’ exotic breeds.

The latter require much more management than the sanga cattle as they are not as well adapted to the country’s harsh climate. Afrikaner, Bonsmara, Brahman and Simmental are all popular breeds among commercial Namibian cattle farmers.

Local cross-breeding is often advised to improve the efficiency of the animal. Given the differences in local conditions, cross-breeding may be used to develop animals with characteristics for optimum production in a particular region.

Cross-breeding changes the genetic make-up of the animal which may allow the animal to make better use of feed and to reduce its management requirements.

If not done responsibly, cross-breeding or hybridisation will threaten the pure and authentic sanga gene pool, something which could put the original Bos taurus africanus under threat of extinction.

Next time you put a nice, big juicy steak on your plate, take a minute and think about the weird and wonderful journey of Bos taurus. No wonder scientists are trying to rebreed the Bos primigenius; the original aurochs.

Remarkable, is it not?

• 4 ribeye steaks

• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

• 1⁄2 cup olive oil, divided into 1/4- and 3/4-cup amounts

• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

• 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 cup flat-leaf Italian parsley, tightly packed leaves only

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

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