Raya cattle
# Raya cattle

The long-horned Raya cattle are a breed of cattle common in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. The Raya cattle have red and black coat colours. Bulls and oxen have thick and long horns and a cervicothoracic hump; cows have medium, thin horns. Raya cattle are closely related to the Afar cattle; this is a result of historical cattle raiding by the Raya people. The Raya cattle are however adapted to draught animals for tillage in the croplands of the highlands.

## Closely related types

* Afar cattle

## Origin of the cattle breed

Ethiopia has been at a crossroads for cattle immigration to Africa due to

* proximity to the geographical entry of Indian and Arabian zebu
* proximity to Near-Eastern and European taurine
* introgression with West African taurine due to pastoralism

Furthermore, the diverse agro-ecology led to diverse farming systems which, in turn, made Ethiopia a centre of secondary diversification for livestock :

* The Sanga cattle (including the Raya breed) originated in Ethiopia. They are a major bovine group in Africa – a cross-breeding of local long-horned taurines and Arabian zebus
* The Zenga (Zebu-Sanga) breeds, which resulted from a second introduction and crossing with Indian zebu

## Breeding and genetic resource management

The lowlands of Ethiopia are good for cattle breeding: there is abundant feed in the rangelands, and pastoral communities have a good knowledge and practice of selective and controlled breeding. Hence, the breed reproduction is much better for the agro-pastoral Raya breeds than for the generalist Arado cattle breed of the Highlands. Raya breeders use traditional methods of animal identification and intra-breed selection. They also cull unwanted male calves based on information on their genitors. Raya breeders have a sense of collective breed ownership. They only sell off oxen to outsiders, in order to protect and maintain the genetic resource from interbreeding with adjacent breeds.

## Stresses on the cattle breed

* socio-political: urbanisation, and civil wars
* panzootic: cattle plague
* environmental: destruction of ecosystems and droughts
