In the world of cattle there are bright and unique representatives. One of them is the Ankole Watussi bull. Animals of this breed have lived next to humans for a very long time. Nowadays, the advantage of these cattle representatives for modern livestock breeders is not only their appearance, but also their meat and dairy productivity. Today, the history of the Watussi cattle breed goes back six thousand years.
History of the origin of Watussi
The main ancient ancestor of Watussi bulls is considered to be the wild aurochs, who lived on the banks of the Nile River.Scientists suggest that there was an accidental crossing of aurochs with humpbacked zebu bulls, which came to the African continent from Pakistan, India, and local domestic cows.
The countries of East Africa are considered to be the birthplace of the breed:
- Uganda;
- Tanzania;
- Congo;
- Burundi;
- Rwanda.
The animals got their name from the names of local peoples, such as Tutsi and Nkole. African tribes rarely slaughtered adult representatives of the breed for meat. Most often they were used for milk production and bloodletting. Animal blood was also consumed as food.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, unusual animals were brought to European zoos. In 1960, several individuals were transported to the USA, where breeding of the breed began.
Appearance and characteristics
The Watussi bull and cow have differences in body weight. Males weigh, in general, one and a half times more than females. The weight of the largest males can exceed 700 kg, while the weight of females rarely exceeds 500 kg.
The physique of the animals is strong, dry rather than loose, and the legs are long. In the neck area you can notice a hump, like a zebu. The body length reaches 2.6 m, the height at the withers is 1.7 m. The heads of males and females are decorated with long horns. The latter ones are somewhat longer. In Africa, there are individuals with both lyre-shaped and pyramidal horns. In the USA, animals with straight horns growing in different directions are more popular. The thickness of the horns at the base is 10, 40 and even 90 cm, the length of the horn can vary from 150 cm to 240 cm, and the weight reaches 50 kg. Cows have a small udder with hair. Because of the umbilical fold, a female can be confused with a male from afar.
Among African livestock breeders, dark red animals are valued. Although the color can be brown, black and spotted.
Pros and cons of the breed
Like any breed, the Watussi has its positive and negative sides.
Maintenance, care and nutrition
Animals of the Watussi breed do not require complex care and high maintenance costs. In Africa, sheds are built for them, where the animals wait out bad weather, and wooden floorings are made in the place where the herd constantly spends the night.
Stomachs African cows adapted to digesting rough, dry food. They do not have tympany and excessive gas formation in the scar. When fed straw and hay, animals gain weight well. A bull needs up to 100 kg of feed per day, a cow – up to 70 kg. With traditional keeping on rich pastures, milk yield can be increased to 600 liters per season.
Breeding
The period of puberty in Watussi begins at 9 months, but it is advisable to start breeding them after 2 years. As a rule, bulls and cows live together. Males are ready to mate at any time, and females come into heat once every couple of months.
With herd keeping for reproduction, it is enough to have breeding bulls, no more than 2% of the total number.
The period of gestation is, on average, 10 months. Females give birth to 1-2 calves. The weight of a newborn is 14-20 kg. The height at the withers varies from 0.6 to 0.8 meters. As a rule, calves are immediately separated from their mothers. Sometimes babies are allowed to take two or three sips of milk before milking. Cows of this breed have a well-developed maternal instinct, and they are ready to protect their offspring from any enemies.
Frequent illnesses
Purebred Watussi bulls are distinguished by good health. They do not need special vitamin supplements to their food. Animals are resistant to all hemosporidiosis. Young animals are the most vulnerable. He usually suffers from a lack of mother's milk. Under such conditions, a large percentage of calves die from hunger and exhaustion.
