Afar cattle

The Afar cattle are mainly found on the western margins of the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia.[1][2] The Afar cattle have thick and long horns and a cervicothoracic hump; they are essentially reared for milk production.[2]

Afar
Country of originEthiopia
Distributionwestern margins of the Danakil depression
UseMilk, meat
Traits
Coatred, black
Horn statuslong

Origin of the cattle breed

Ethiopia has been at a crossroads for cattle immigration to Africa[3][4] due to

  • proximity to the geographical entry of Indian and Arabian zebu
  • proximity to Near-Eastern and European taurine
  • introgression with West African taurine due to pastoralism

Furthermore, the diverse agro-ecology led to diverse farming systems which, in turn, made Ethiopia a centre of secondary diversification[3] for livestock :

  • The Sanga cattle originated in Ethiopia. They are a major bovine group in Africa – a cross-breeding of local long-horned taurines and Arabian zebus.[4] This comprises the Afar cattle
  • The Zenga (Zebu-Sanga) breeds, which resulted from a second introduction and crossing with Indian zebu[4]

Breeding and genetic resource management

The lowlands of Ethiopia are good for cattle breeding: there is abundant feed in the rangelands, and pastoral communities have a good knowledge and practice of selective and controlled breeding. The reproduction is better in case of the Afar pastoral breed as compared to the generalist Arado cattle breed of the Highlands. All pastoralists in Afar region use traditional methods of intrabreed selection, controlled breeding and culling unwanted calves based on information on their pedigree. The Afar breeders have a sense of collective breed ownership. They strongly protect their genetic resource from cross-breeding with adjacent breeds.[3]

Stresses on the cattle breed
  • socio-political: urbanisation, and civil wars
  • panzootic: cattle plague[5]
  • environmental: destruction of ecosystems and droughts[6][7]
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References
  1. Merha Zerabruk; Vangen, O; Mitiku Haile (2007). "The status of cattle genetic resources in North Ethiopia: On-farm characterization of six major cattle breeds". Animal Genetic Resources Information. 40: 15–32. doi:10.1017/S1014233900002169.
  2. Cattle breeds, milk production, and transhumance in Dogu'a Tembien. In: Geotrekking in Ethiopia's tropical mountains, Chapter 28. Cham: SpringerNature. 2019. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3_28.
  3. Merha Zerabruk, and colleagues (2011). "Genetic diversity and admixture of indigenous cattle from North Ethiopia: implications of historical introgressions in the gateway region to Africa". Animal Genetics. 43 (3): 257–266. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2052.2011.02245.x. PMID 22486496.
  4. Hanotte, O. and colleagues (2002). "African pastoralism: genetic imprints of origins and migrations". Science. 296 (5566): 336–339. doi:10.1126/science.1069878. PMID 11951043.
  5. Pankhurst, R (1985). The history of famine and epidemics in Ethiopia prior to the twentieth century. Addis Ababa: Relief and Rehabilitation Commission.
  6. Van Cappellen, H (2016). The ox-plow complex on the edge: an ethnographic inquiry into social change and cross-breed dairy farming in Tigray, Ethiopia [MSc Thesis]. KU Leuven, Belgium.
  7. Zbelo Tesfamariam, and colleagues (2019). "Transhumance as a driving force of landscape change in the marginal grabens of northern Ethiopia". SJTG. 40 (3): 476–495. doi:10.1111/sjtg.12278.
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