Ankole (cattle)

The Ankole is a breed or group of breeds of African cattle, belonging to the broad Sanga cattle grouping of African breeds.[1]: 604  It was probably introduced to Uganda between five and seven hundred years ago by nomadic pastoralists from more northerly parts of the continent. It is distributed in much of eastern and central Africa, particularly in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and parts of Tanzania.[2]: 109  There are at least five distinct regional strains, some of which may be reported as breeds in their own right.[3][2]: 109 [4]: 14  These include:

  • the Bahima, found in Uganda and the Congo, associated with the Bahima and other peoples;[4]: 14 [2]: 109 [5]
  • the Bashi in the Congo;[4]: 14 [2]: 110 
  • the Kigezi, kept by Bakiga people in the former Kigezi District of south-western Uganda[4]: 14 [2]: 110 [6]
  • the Ruzizi, from the Ruzizi Valley between Lake Kivu and Lake Tanganyika[4]: 14 [2]: 110 [7]
  • the Watusi, found in Burundi, Congo, Rwanda, Uganda and parts of Tanzania, associated with Watusi or Tutsi people in those areas.[4]: 14 [2]: 110 [8] Two small herds of the Inyambo strain of Watusi are kept in Rwanda; it is not clear if or how these are related to the royal herd of Inyambo cattle reportedly confiscated and auctioned off in 1964.[2]: 110 

Ankole in Umutara province in Rwanda
Watusi in Uganda

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ankole (cattle).
  1. Marleen Felius (1995). Cattle Breeds: An Encyclopedia. Doetinchem, Netherlands: Misset. ISBN 9789054390176.
  2. Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.
  3. Barbara Rischkowsky, D. Pilling (eds.) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Accessed January 2017.
  4. J. E. O. Rege (1999). The state of African cattle genetic resources. I. Classification framework and identification of threatened and extinct breeds. Animal Genetic Resources Information. 25 (1999): 1–26.
  5. Bahima. International Livestock Research Institute: Animal Genetics Training Resource. Accessed April 2021.
  6. Kigezi. International Livestock Research Institute: Animal Genetics Training Resource. Accessed April 2021.
  7. Ruzizi. International Livestock Research Institute: Animal Genetics Training Resource. Accessed April 2021.
  8. Watusi. International Livestock Research Institute: Animal Genetics Training Resource. Accessed April 2021.


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