Elizabeth the Aberdeen Angus Calf.
Rare Cattle Breeds
Cattle are found all over the world but their ancestors were the wild Aurochs who were believed to have originally been found in a relatively small area of Europe, Western Asia and the northern fringe of Africa. From this common ancestor many different breeds of cattle have been created through domestication, varying in shape, size, colour, horned, polled and their function. Some were bred for their milk, meat and skin. Many breeds were bred to be dual purpose animals who could serve all of these functions. Many rare native breeds show resistance to diseases and other health problems that affect modern breeds.
Native Aberdeen Angus
They are a hardy breed who can winter outdoors. They are easy to look after and are long-lived, fertile and maternal. Aberdeen Angus are predominantly black, though they can be red and it is a polled breed, meaning that they do not grow horns. The Aberdeen Angus breed is one of the most famous beef breeds and was developed originally in North-East Scotland in the early nineteenth century from the local black, horned cattle, which were crossed with other breeds. The Angus was widely exported during the twentieth century. The trend abroad was to breed a longer and taller type of Angus and many examples of these animals have been imported into the UK endangering the original Native Aberdeen Angus population. Animals of the non-imported bloodlines tend to be shorter in the leg and considerably blockier than the modern Angus. There are currently between 150 to 250 breeding females in the UK and they are on Rare Breeds Survival Trust endangered watchlist.