VN May 2023

Vetnews | Mei 2023 11 South African small ruminant breeds Gareth Bath South Africa has created 3 small ruminant breeds that have received international recognition and are used world-wide. 1. The Dorper , originating in the 1940s and 1950s from original crosses between the British Dorset and the (erroneously identified) Black Head Persian – the latter, it seems, was actually a breed from Somalia, and thus African. Characteristically, the Dorper is a hardy, meaty breed with a white hairy body and a black head; other colour variations do occur. The Dorper is the biggest pure meat sheep breed in South Africa and has been adopted by many countries around the world. 2. The Boer Goat (‘veredelde boerbok’) was bred and upgraded since the 1920s from smaller indigenous goats, with contributions from Indian and European breeds, to provide a commercial meat goat breed. The swept-back horns, a reddish-brown head and neck, white blaze and body are characteristic, although other colour variations also occur. The Boer Goat is now distributed world-wide. 3. The Döhne Merino was bred and developed from crosses between the Spanish Merino and the SA Mutton Merino, the latter itself a descendant of the German Merino. The Döhne was developed to produce both meat and fine wool under harsh commercial conditions and relies on objective data and not show judging to evaluate sheep for breeding. This approach has resulted in its growing popularity with farmers, both locally and internationally. In addition, the Angora Goat, famed for its lustrous mohair, has become established in South Africa, where it is at the highest level of breeding and has the greatest numbers worldwide. In the 1830s, the British Colonial Service acquired 12 prized Angora bucks and 1 doe from the Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey), but the wily Turks, not wanting to share this wonderful breed with other countries, had rendered all the bucks infertile (probably by damaging the caudal epididymis). Unfortunately for Turkey but luckily for South Africa, the solitary doe was pregnant and delivered a healthy male kid, thus starting the Mohair Industry in South Africa! There are many other small stock breeds in South Africa, each playing a useful role in the livestock industry. v Article