The
common ancestor of all bovines was called an aurochs (Bos primigenius).
These are the cattle depicted in the cave paintings of western
Europe--humped with lyre-shaped horns, small hindquarters and
massive, deep chests. They became extinct in the 1600s, although
recent attempts to "rebuild" the aurochs have resulted in some reasonable facsimiles.
Descendants
of the aurochs were bison, yaks, and two types of cattle; Bos Taurus
in Europe and Bos Indicus in Southeastern Asia. Bos Taurus are
the cows we're all familiar with--large, heavy beef and dairy
cattle. Bos Indicus cattle have humps, loose skin, and thrive
in hot, humid conditions. Humped cattle are called Zebu--there
are about 40 known breeds or varieties in India, Sri Lanka, and
Indonesia. The African continent has another 35 Zebu breeds. Some experts believe thet African Zebu to be a third type of Zebu: the Sanga Zebu.
In the 9000 years since cattle became domesticated, the development of a cattle "type" or "style" occurs slowly
and naturally along geographic lines. A mountain range or island habitat restricts characteristics peculiar to that area. This is why there are so
many varieties of Zebu. Even though commerce in cattle was forbidden,
a few Zebu were given to Westerners in the mid-1800s for service
to the various governments of India, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and Indonesia. By the 1880s some zoos and circuses
featured Zebu in displays, identifying them as the "Sacred Cow of India." American beef breeders imported four
Indian breeds to create the American Brahman: the Gir, Guzerat,
Nellore, and Krishna Valley. Because Zebu are resistant to many
insects and enjoy the heat, the Brahman transformed many southeastern
cattle ranches from white-faced and red or black to humped, gray,
and long-eared. Brahmans and their crossbreeds gained tremendous
weight while European breeds fell victim to tick fever and the
heat.
Bos
Indicus breeds are all sizes, usually according to purpose or forage conditions.
"Nadudana" is a Hindi word (of unknown dialect) for
small cattle with straightish horns and non-droopy ears--a smaller
version of the Nellore. So how did the Miniature Zebu come to
be? My theory is that the circus/zoo Zebu were animals undesirable tfor beef breeding. Therefore,
they were a bargain, and didn't take up much space on the ship.
Miniature
Zebu are still a very rare breed; sources on the Web count 1000-2000
head in the US. Most people we know here in Texas have never heard
of miniature cattle at all. Because of Foot-and-Mouth Disease
and Mad Cow Disease, there will probably not be any more importations
from anywhere, ever again. There are some possibilities for semen
and embryos.
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The
Miniature Zebu Breed
When
I first saw a Miniature Zebu, I assumed it was a tiny Brahman,
but they're actually very different in their conformation. Miniature
Zebu share the unique features of other Bos Indicus cattle: shoulder
humps, generous dewlaps, thick hide with additional sweat
glands, resistance to many parasites, and "twitchy"
skin. All these characteristics help them to thrive in a hot,
humid climate. Zebu need extra protection in freezing-cold weather conditions,
although there are breeders up north, even in Canada. They are
very good mothers, quite intelligent, active, and curious. All of ours
can be hand-fed and petted. Size is limited to 42," measured
directly behind the hump. The smallest size animals are around
33." We are breeding for a optimum size of 36--38."
Our sale-age calves will mature to 35--38," so they're priced
moderately.
Zebu
mature slowly and rather late. Heifers breed at 1 1/2
years, usually. Bulls
mature to 400-600 lbs; cows 300-500. Calves are 12-20 lbs. at birth; at weaning they're about 50 lbs. They're also long-lived--18
to 20 years is not unusual.
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