The widely accepted theory for the origin of present day zebu cattle in West Africa states that they came from the westward spread of the early zebu populations in East Africa through the Sudan. As for other zebu types, the cattle breeds of this group are found mainly in the drier regions. Their body conformation resembles the zebu cattle of eastern Africa (Epstein, 1971; Payne and Wilson, 1999). The zebu did not appear in West Africa until about 1800 BP. The increasing aridity of the climate and the deterioration of the environment in the Sahel appear to have favoured the introduction and spread of the zebu, as they are superior to longhorn and shorthorn (Bos taurus) cattle in withstanding drought conditions. Another theory based on archaeological findings in the Sahara (Muzzolini, 2000) argues that there was a separate domestication of cervico-thoracic humped zebu cattle in the region and become the ancestors of the Fulani. However, a recent molecular genetic evidence (Hanotte et al., 2002) supported an earlier suggestion that the major process of Bos indicus influence centred in East Africa, and that its genetic introgression spread to the west of the continent. In any case, gradual interbreeding the earlier zebu populations with the prevailing Bos taurus type of cattle is believed to have resulted in the present-day local breeds that exhibit West African Shorthorn characteristics, e.g., the Shuwa. Similarly, the lyre-horned zebu breeds of the Fulani pastoralists, such as Red Bororo, appear to be the result of early upgrading of longhorn-type cattle by the introduced zebu cattle (Payne and Wilson, 1999). Overall, the Fulani differ from the typical zebu of western and eastern Africa by the presence of long horns and from the cerico-thoracic-humped Sanga by the presence of a thoracic and sometimes intermediate hump. The West African Zebu cattle consist of two main groups: the Gudali group (Adamawa, Sokoto) and the Fulani group. The Fulani have been classified further into two groups: the lyre-horned subgroup consisting of Senegalese Fulani (or the Gobra), the Sudanese Fulani, and the White Fulani (or Bunaji); and long-horned subgroup represented by the Red Fulani (or Rahaji). Diali (or Djeli) is a strain of Fulani found on the flood plains of Niger river in Niger and south-west Nigeria (Rege 1999; Rege and Tawah, 1999).
Breed Origin :
Synonyms of the breed like Arab and Moor suggest that they have descended from early cattle of Arabian pastoralists who spread from eastern Africa. They are short-horned zebu type and relate to the recent introductions of short-horned zebu into Africa from west Asia. These cattle are now owned by desert nomads, both Arabs and Berbers (Felius, 1995).
Main Location:
Inhabit the Sahel region of Mauritania and neighbouring Mali with the nomadic Arabs and Berbers.
Habitat:
Special
Characteristic:
Coat colour is fawn, red or black in plain or patchy pattern.
