After the initial cattle plague (Rinderpest) epidemic and decimation of the dominant Sanga populations, zebu cattle were introduced from Asia into Africa at various points on the east coast of the continent, and interbreeding with Sanga remnants resulted in several zebu-Sanga and Sanga-zebu admixture populations. The breeds that emerged from these crosses have been classified in a separate group of "Zenga" cattle. Naturally, the Zenga are localized in eastern Africa, the natural point of contact of the zebu and Sanga populations. No breed improvement programmes exist for any of the Zenga. However, there is an on-going on-station characterization of the Horro in Ethiopia (Rege and Tawah, 1999).
Breed Origin :
Developed out of interbreeding of Abyssinian Zebu from central highlands and the adjacent Sanga (Danakil, Raya-Azebo).
Main Location:
Inhabits the Fogera plains around Lake Tana, southern Gondar and adjoining areas of Gojjam.
Habitat:
Special
Characteristic:
Pied coat of black-and-white or black-and-grey; short, stumpy, pointed horns; hump ranges from thoracic to cervico-thoracic; dewlap is folded and moderate to large in size; docile temperament; used for draught, milk and meat (Rege and Tawah, 1999).
