The Abergelle and Irob cattle breeds of North Ethiopia: description and on-farm characterisation

M. Zerabruk & O. Vangen

Department of Animal Science, Agricultural University of Norway,
P.O. Box 5025, 1432 Aas, Norway

Summary

A field survey was carried out between January and June 2002 in order to describe and evaluate two local cattle breeds, Abergelle and Irob, found in the Tigray region of North Ethiopia with little previous description available. Information from structured questionnaire of 175 farmers, twenty-one focused group discussions, field measurements of hearth girth and height at withers of 25 males and 25 females of each breed, and secondary information were utilised to carry out an on-farm characterisation and description of these breeds. The two breeds are found to be the smallest breeds in the region with an average body weight of 234 ± 13 and 153 ± 15 kg and average height at withers of 109 ± 3 and 97 ± 5 cm for males and females of the Abergelle breed. For the Irob breed the corresponding figures were 245 ± 36 and 200 ± 36 kg body weight and 106 ± 3 and 105 ± 5 cm height at withers. The Abergelle breed is recognized by farmers to have adaptive advantages to the hotter and drier low lands. Its tolerance to diseases and parasites and ability to cope with feed shortages during the long dry periods are favourably rated by the majority of farmers. The Irob cattle breed is adapted to a mountainous production environment and is highly rated by farmers for its capacity to thrive on the difficult terrain and its utilization of cactus (Opantia ficus indica) as a major source of nutrition.

Resumen

Se llevó a cabo una encuesta sobre el terreno entre Enero y Junio del 2002 para describir y evaluar dos razas locales de bovinos, Abergelle y Irob, situadas en la región de Tigray en el norte de Etiopia, para las cuales se tenía escasos datos de descripción. La información recogida a través de los cuestionarios entregados por 175 ganaderos, 21 grupos de discusión, medidas tomadas sobre el terreno de la circunferencia torácica y altura a la cruz de 25 machos y 25 hembras de cada raza, así como más información secundaria fueron utilizadas para realizar una caracterización y descripción de estas razas. Se observó que las dos razas eran las más pequeñas de la región con una media de peso corporal de 234 ± 13 y 153 ± 15 kg, una media de altura a la cruz de109 ± 3 y 97 ± 5 cm para los machos y hembras de la raza Abergelle. Para la raza Irob las correspondientes figuras fueron de 245 ± 36 y 200 ± 36 kg de peso corporal, y 106 ± 3 y 105 ± 5 cm de altura a la cruz. La raza Abergelle es reconocida por los ganaderos por presentar mayor capacidad de adaptación en condiciones de temperaturas muy altas y regiones secas. Su tolerancia a las enfermedades y parasitos y su habilidad para sobrevivir en situaciones difíciles con periodos largos de sequía fueron recalcados por los ganadeors. La raza Irob se adapta más a la producción en ambiente montañoso y es apreciada por los ganaderos por su capacidad para desplazarse por terrenos difíciles y por aprovechar el cactus (Opantia ficus indica) como fuente principal de nutrición.

Keywords: Cattle, Abergelle, Irob, Tigray, Genetic resource, Phenotypic characterisation.

Introduction

Ethiopia has the largest cattle population in Africa, estimated at 30 million heads. Moreover, it is home to more than 18 breeds of cattle making the country important in terms of breed diversity (derived from FAO, 2003).

Little information is available about the indigenous cattle breeds in Ethiopia. The origin and route of immigration to the country with a brief description of some of the breeds is reported by Albero and Hailemariam (1982) and more recently by Rege and Tawa (1999). However, important local breeds such as Abergelle and Irob were not included in those studies. The Abergelle breed is a small sized and early maturing found mainly in Tanqua Abergelle, Samre sehartti, Kolla Tembien, parts of Tselmti of Tigray region and adjacent districts of the Amhara region of North Ethiopia (Tsegewoin, 2000). The Irob cattle breed is small but with good body conformation and is found mainly in Irob and Gulo Mekeda districts of the Tigray region.

The two breeds have neither been described, included in any systematic evaluation or breeding program, nor incorporated in the global FAO DAD-IS database. Some information is available from local agricultural surveys (Tsegeweini, 2000; Berhane, 1996; BoANR, 1999). Both breeds have, however, been known and described as unique by farmers in the locality for more than 100 years. The role of these breeds in terms of providing draught power and nutrition (meat and milk), among other things, to the population in their respective localities is crucial.

The objective of this paper is to report basic information on the origin, population description, production system, unique adaptive features and productive and reproductive performances of the Abergelle and Irob cattle breeds.

Figure 1. Geographical location of the study areas.

Materials and methods

Abergelle

Abergelle is a district in the northern region province of Ethiopia, Tigray. Tigray is located between latitudes of 12°20’and 14°40’ N and longitudes of 36°E and 41°30’ E (Figure 1). The topography of the area is dominated by plains and river valleys, with an altitude ranging between 1 300-1 550 m. Average annual temperature ranges between 27°C and 30°C, the vegetation of the area is dominated by xerophylic plants. Major cultivated crops include sorghum, maize, Teff (Eragrostis tef) and sesame (Amare, 1996). Cattle and goat production plays a central role in the farming system of the study area

Irob

Irob is a district located in the north-eastern part of Tigray. The topography is characterised by extremely rugged steep-slope terrain and deep narrow valleys with little or no potential for crop production. There are considerable variation in altitude (900-3 200 meters), temperature (5-30°C) and rainfall of 200-600 mm/year (Asfaha Zigta and Ann Waters-Bayer, 2001). Cattle and goat production with limited cultivation of crops constitutes the farming system of the area. The excellent indigenous soil and water harvesting techniques of farmers in the Irob area have helped them produce cereal crops such as barley, Teff, and more importantly, cactus (Opantia ficus indica) which at the moment is a very important source of nutrition for both people and livestock.

Data collection

A survey was conducted in three villages (Felegehiwot, Hibret and Siye) of the Abergelle and four villages (Alitena, Endalgeda, Endamusa and Hagerelukuma) of the Irob districts between January and June, 2002. Selection of the sites was based on the higher concentration of the cattle breeds and information from earlier studies that these sites are the major breeding areas of the breeds under study.

A total of 175 cattle owners (25 from each village) were interviewed based on a structured questionnaire. Besides, formal group discussions with farmers were conducted. The questionnaire (Appendix 1) was designed to collect data on the origin of the breeds, physical description, the main purpose, productive and reproductive performance, management and breeding practices, population trends, uniqueness (special traits), farmers’ preference and opinions on comparisons of these breeds with other breeds known to the farmers. The Abergelle breed was compared with three breeds (Afar/Raya, Arado and Barka) very well known to interviewed farmers, while the Irob breed was compared with two breeds (Afar and Arado). The formal group discussions focussed on general issues such as:

1. status of the breed;
2. breeding management and goal;
3. awareness of diversity;
4. population trends and major threats to the breed.

Three group discussions with 7-10 farmers in each group, were conducted in each village. Information on the production environment and size of breed population was compiled from reports of earlier surveys (BoNAR, 1999; Tsegewoin, 2000). The questionnaire used in the study is presented in Appendix 1.

Height at withers and heart girth measurements of 25 male and 25 females of each breed were recorded and photos were taken for representative animals. Adult body weight was estimated from heart girth measurements (Daltons supplies Ltd).

Results and Discussion

Population size and description

According to the Tigray regional livestock census (BoNAR,1999), the population size of the Abergelle breed is 82,247 animals of which 58% and 29% are found in Tanqua Abergelle and Seharti Samre districts, the remaining 13% are found thinly spread across the Tigray region and adjacent areas in North Ethiopia (Table 1). The census does not, however, give any information on the Irob breed and in fact the breed is not presented as separate and instead was included in the Arado breed figures as is true in many other studies. In the present study it is attempted to estimate the population size of the Irob breed by taking the cattle population of the major breeding areas of the breed (Irob) from the census and add the proportion of this breed in the adjacent areas of Golomekeda based on interviews with farmers (Table 1).

Of the interviewed farmers, 69% indicated that the Abergelle breed population and its geographical spread have decreased over the years. It was indicated by 91% of interviewed farmers that the breed has decreased in body size and "purity", milk production, lactation length and productive life. The main reasons given were: absence of selection of breeding bulls, less controlled breeding practises and draught and diseases. Similarly, 98% of the interviewed farmers indicated that the Irob cattle population size has decreased significantly with a slight decline in both production and reproduction traits, while its geographical spread has remained unaffected over the years.

Origin

Of the total of seventy-five farmers interviewed, 84% responded that the origin of the Abergelle breed is a result of cross breeding between the Afar (one of the Sanga breeds in Ethiopia) and other breeds in the area, 11% said the breed is indigenous to the area and another 4% did not know its origin. The breed is described as small, tolerant to heat stress, tick resistant with smooth and various coat colours by 92% of the interviewed farmers. Furthermore, almost all farmers believe that the breed is completely different from other breeds known to them.

Almost all (97%) interviewed farmers in the Irob area believe that the origin of the breed is from the Afar breed found in the adjacent low lands and they strongly believe that the breed evolved into its current type to fit to a production environment that is more different from the low lands. Moreover, 89% of the farmers described the breed as short and small, hardy and with unique ability in grazing on mountainous terrain and utilization of cactus.

It can be proposed from the results of the present study as well as earlier study of Albero & Haile-mariam (1982), that these breeds most probably belong to the intermediate Sanga-Zebu or Zenga cattle, one of the four groups of African cattle breeds suggested by Rege (1999). Historically, this group is believed to have emerged as the result of the introduction of Zebu breeds to Ethiopia and breeding with the Sanga breed that was formed from a previous cross breeding process that involved the hump-less cattle and the Zebu (Albero, 1982; Rege, 1999).

Conformation characteristics

The Abergelle breed in the present study is found to be one of the smallest cattle breeds in the region both for average height at wither and adult body weight for males and females respectively (Table 2; Figures 2 and 3). The Abergelle breed showed a marked size difference between males and females (males were 13 and 52% taller and heavier, respectively, than females). The breed has a fine skin and coat colour that varies considerably with black and black and white spotted animals more abundant. Other colours include: chestnut, grey and light red. While females have thin and medium sized horns mostly upward with pointed ends, males have thicker and shorter horns. Polled animals are not common. The hump is small and not very well developed, small dewlap and naval flap are typical features of the breed as opposed to the zebu. The females of this breed tend to resemble more to the Sanga breeds in some phenotypic characteristics, while the males resemble more the zebu breeds.

Table 1. Distribution and population size of Abergelle and Irob cattle breeds in Tigray, North Ethiopia (BoNAR, 1999).

Table 2. Height at withers and adult body weight measurements for Abergelle and Irob cattle breeds.

¹Adult body weight is estimated from heart girth measurements.

The males of the Irob breed are of the same size as the Abergelle while females are taller and heavier than the Abergelle breed (Table 2; Figures 4 and 5). Moreover, no marked difference (0.9%) in height at withers and moderate difference in weight (22%) was observed between males and females of this breed. Coat colour is dominantly light red with white spots on the face, other colours are very rare. Both sexes have small to medium horns and males have medium to large cervico-thoracic hump.

Abergelle production

According to the current survey, the Abergelle breed is favourably rated by higher percentage of interviewed farmers (59-100%) for 14 of the 15 traits compared (Table 3). One trait, market value of live animals, is rated as worse (88%). Product quality traits such as milk fat%, hide and meat quality, and disease and tick resistance traits are highly rated with higher percentage of farmers, 100, 100, 96%, and 96 and 98% respectively. Average milk production of the breed ranges between 1.0 to 1.5 litres in the dry and wet seasons respectively, with an average lactation length of 150 days, slightly higher than the Arado breed (1 litre per day) and slightly lower than the daily average of 1.5 litres for the Afar breed reported in earlier studies (Albero, 1982; Berhane, 1996). All interviewed farmers indicated that milk production has been declining over the last 30-40 years from a daily average of 4 litres and a lactation length of up to 10 months to the present much lower levels. The reasons they gave were drought and disappearance of some grass species (milk grasses) from the grazing land. In one particular group discussion it was argued that milk-producing capacity of the breed has declined with the shift from pastoral to mixed farming system.

Of the interviewed farmers 68, 13 and 19% indicated that age at first calving for the breed as 4, 3-4 and £ 3 years. While few farmers (17%) reported a calving interval of one year, the majority (83%) have indicated a calving interval of two or more years.

Irob production

The Irob breed has been rated favourable, comparable and negatively for 6, 6 and 3 of the 15 traits compared respectively. Among the highly rated traits are: milk fat (99% of respondents), draught purpose (98%), tolerance to feed and water shortages (100%) and grazing on mountainous terrain (100%)(Table 3). Milk yield (83%), market value of live animals (77%) and calving interval (56%) are negatively rated compared to other breeds that are known to farmers interviewed.

Figure 2. Abergelle bull grazing in the early rainy season (June).

Table 3. Comparisons by farmers of the Abergelle and Irob cattle with other breeds for some traits of importance.

¹The view on the Abergelle breed was based on comparison with three other breeds (Afar, Arado and Barka), well known to farmers in the area

²The view on the Irob breed was based on comparison with two other breeds (Afar and Arado), well known to farmers in the area

Figure 3. Abergelle cow grazing in the early rainy season (June).

Figure 4. Irob cattle grazing on the mountains.

Average daily milk production for the breed was less than a litter per day, a lactation length of 120-150 days and average age at first calving and calving interval of more than 4 and 2 years respectively.

Breeding and genetic resource management

It has been observed from both individual interviews and group discussion in this study that there is little or no attempt by farmers to improve their stock by selection or by any other method. On the other hand, farmers believe that some herds in the community are still genetically superior. Even though there are no institutionalised schemes for genetic improvement, exchange of superior animals among close relatives (mostly cows are taken and allowed to stay for some time in a herd believed to have superior bulls) is common. All interviewed farmers rejected the idea of introducing new "improved breeds" arguing strongly that only the local breed can be suitable for the area, whereas 23% indicated crossing the locals with breeds such as the Raya breed (local breed popular for draught purposes) could give better crossbreds especially ploughing oxen. A more conservative view was expressed by farmers in the Irob district where cross breeding of the Irob breed with other local breeds is disputed. The observation that farmers put much emphasis on environmental adaptation of their local breeds has been consistent in this study and other similar studies (Mwacharo & Rege, 2002) and therefore should be considered as a major criterion in designing future genetic improvement programmes. A common observation in almost all group discussions has been that farmers are more pressed by immediate problems such as shortage of draught animals than concerns for both genetic improvement and animal genetic resource management.

Traits of adaptive and economic importance

The two breeds are believed by their communities to be the best adapted to their respective local production environments. The Abergelle is outstanding compared with other breeds (Afar/Raya, Arado and Barka) known to farmers in the area. Their capacity to endure, produce and reproduce in the dry and hot climate, their special foraging ability and utilization of crop residue (Sorghum stover) during the long dry periods (7-8 months for the area) where feed availability is precarious are well appreciated by farmers. Of particular importance is also their ability to resist/tolerate diseases and most notably tick resistance, one of the problems hindering livestock production in the adjacent communities. The Abergelle breed has soft, tasty meat with better marbling and excellent quality hide. Oxen of this breed are preferred to the much larger and powerful oxen from other breeds (Afar/Raya, Arado and Barka), for their quicker pace and longer working hours with significantly less feed consumption. The Irob breed on the other hand, is well known for important traits such as grazing and performing in extremely mountainous terrain, ability to tolerate feed and water shortages and its utilization of the cactus plant compared to the Afar and Arado breeds found in the region (Table 3).

Genetic conservation

Using population size as an indicator of endangerment, both breeds in the present study can be categorized as "not at risk" according to FAO criteria for determining domestic animals at risk (Scherf, 2000). However, a complete picture of the risk for both breeds can only be established if information on the number of breeding males and females, effective population size, population trend, geographical spread, crossing with other breed(s) and socio-economic and political factors are included. It was observed that the two breeds have been subjected to several indiscriminate crossbreeding programmes (REST, 1997) that aimed at improving milk production without due concern to the long term effects on the conservation and maintenance of genetic diversity.

Figure 5. Irob bull near a watering point.

The level of endangerment of the Irob breed may even be more critical. In addition to all the factors mentioned for the Abergelle breed, the Irob breed population has severely decreased as a result of the recent boarder war between Ethiopia and Eritrea and that the geographical range of the breed is very small compared to the Abergelle breed. Most challenging of all is, however, the state of helplessness of the local community due to mainly the chronic poverty, the adverse effect of more than three decades of civil war, famine in the area and absence of active programmes for the conservation and utilization of these breeds. Tackling these underlying problems should be the primary objective of an effort to stop and/or reverse the process of endangerment of these breeds.

Conservation of these breeds can provide unique opportunities for current and future economic and scientific values for traits such as heat and disease tolerance, tick resistance, meat and hide qualities. The Abergelle breed’s adaptation to the hot and semi-arid lowlands that are less suitable for cultivated agriculture and unique adaptation of the Irob breed to mountainous terrain and utilisation of cactus, if conserved could have far reaching contribution for not only the communities that have been breeding and managing these important genetic resource for years but also for others who may have current or future scientific, commercial and/or cultural and historical interests.

Conclusions

As in most traditional subsistence livestock production systems elsewhere, the farming communities in Abergelle and Irob, North Ethiopia, entirely depend on their local and highly adapted cattle breeds for their survival. The two breeds that are described in the present study have never been included in any genetic characterisation or evaluation programmes except in a couple of local agricultural surveys.

In the present study, it has been found that these two breeds of cattle have distinctive adaptive features that are recognised and appreciated by farmers and made these breeds first choice in their respective production systems. Assessing the degree of endangerment of these breeds based only on population size data can lead to underestimation of the problem. It is, however, observed that both breeds are at risk both from man made and natural disasters, poverty and lack of awareness and//or interest by GO and NGOs operating in the area. Devising urgent measures that incorporate the sustainable use of these genetic resources with full participation of the communities is a requisite to halt and reverse, in the long term, the journey of these breeds to extinction and making the people that depend on them for their livelihoods less vulnerable.

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