The indigenous cattle of the Southern Highlands of Tanzania: distinct phenotypic features, performance and uses

Y N Msanga, P L Mwakilembe and D Sendalo

Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development, P.O. Box 9152 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
ymsanga@rediff.com
Uyole Livestock research Centre, P.O. Box 400 Mbeya, Tanzania
National Livestock research Institute, P.O. Box 202 Mpwapwa, Tanzania

Abstract

This study was carried out in the Southern Highlands zone of Tanzania which is in the southwestern part of the country. The study considered two cattle strains which have been raised by the indigenous people for many years. The study areas have a similar farming system in which cattle play a very important role. The strains of cattle studied were Ufipa and Iringa Red. The main objective of this study was to characterize the phenotypic features, the production system, the traits of cattle that are of special interest to the community that keep them and the risky status of the cattle strains. 

For the Ufipa cattle the study was conducted in February 2007 and covered Sumbawanga rural, Sumbawanga urban and Nkasi districts of Rukwa region. Results showed that the Ufipa cattle are in reasonable number and have got uniform features of body size and conformation, horn size, orientation and spacing.  The cattle have both Zebu and Sanga features though the Zebu features dominate. Their coat colour varies and may range from black, brown, and red, to grey. The horns are long with majority of animals showing forward orientation. The results also showed that Ufipa cattle are mainly kept for draft power such that about 35 % of the cattle herd composition is made of castrates. The number of the Ufipa cattle is fairly large and its risky status fall under need to monitor and what puts it at risk is nonselective castration leading to poor breeding bulls.

The Iringa Red cattle are found in Iringa region in the South Western part of Tanzania. The study for Iringa Red cattle strain was conducted in two phases, in 2005 it covered Iringa rural and Kilolo districts and in 2007 it covered Mufindi district. The distinguishing features of the Iringa Red cattle are the red coat colour, darkish red and few are brown with white pied or spotted. The colour of the muzzle is brown and none pigmented. The hump is thoracic medium to large and mostly hanging in males. The cattle are of medium body size when compared to other strains of the Tanzania Shorthorn Zebu. In Mufindi district, about 70% of the cattle in the herds belong to the Iringa Red strain. The farmer’ main preferences on the Iringa Red cattle are tolerance to disease and better draft power. Unlike the Ufipa cattle there is some selection on bulls to be used for breeding. The major risk factor facing this strain of cattle is introduction of other cattle stains from pastoralists who are moving into the traditional lands of the Iringa red cattle.

Key words: animal genetic resources, breeding management, draft power, Iringa red, Tanzania Shorthorn Zebu, Ufipa cattle

Introduction

Despite the increasing genetic erosion of the indigenous Tanzanian cattle populations and the urgent need for their conservation, information about their genetic uniqueness is completely lacking. These cattle have not been well defined, classified or studied adequately. There is not even information on the number and population sizes of breeds/strains. Often populations bear the names of communities that own them and/or locations in which they are found, and the distinction between various populations is not clear. Additionally, information on phenotypic (including performance figures and adaptive attributes) and genetic/molecular characteristics, is either completely lacking or incomplete for the majority of indigenous breeds. This information is required before appropriate strategies for long-term maintenance and use of these breeds is formulated. Development of appropriate strategies for long-term maintenance and use of the genetic variation within livestock types requires characterization of animal genetic resources, to identify the existing variation and to guide decisions regarding their future utilization and conservation strategies.

In Tanzania there are several strains of cattle which are important animal genetic resources found in the country ( Msanga et al 2001). The animals are used for varied functions especially for provision of essential food products, draft power, manure and social functions. They also sustain employment and income for the majority of the smallholder farmers living in the rural areas. The animals usually survive and reproduce under the harsh climatic, nutritional and management conditions that are prevalent within the smallholder farmers systems. Like the majority of indigenous African animal genetic resources, indigenous cattle in Tanzania  are currently at risk of genetic erosion (Kurwijla and Kifaro 2001). Several factors underlie this trend, including uncontrolled interbreeding, lack of breed development programmes and introduction of exotic breeds. Characterization of animal genetic resources involves carrying out baseline surveys in order to establish identities and characteristics of individual populations (breeds/strains); determine the status of animal populations; and document the existing production and management systems.  

General Objective

• To understand and describe distinguishing features/traits for the Ufipa and Iringa Red indigenous cattle population and environment under which the animals are kept.

Specific Objectives

1. To identify and characterize Ufipa and Iringa Red  indigenous cattle
2. To document information on breeding system, herd structure, management practices, and performance characteristics of the cattle
3. To establish the objectives of the target community in raising the cattle

Materials and Methods

Study Area

The Southern highlands zone of Tanzania is in the South West of the country and administrative regions are Iringa, Mbeya Rukwa and Ruvuma. The altitude of the regions range from 1000 to 2960 meters above sea level and has a got a mild to cool temperatures averages maximum 220  C to 100C minimum. The region enjoys favorable climatic conditions for crop production. Rainfall ranges from 800 to 1300 mm and occurs in one season from November to April. Prolonged dry season from May to October is a limiting factor for forage availability during this period.  In the zone there are two distinct cattle strains which have been bred and used by the indigenous people for decades and they are well adapted and suit the farming system in the area. The strains of cattle are Ufipa and Iringa Red found in Rukwa and Iringa regions respectively.

The studies were conducted in six districts three in each of the regions Rukwa and Iringa. Rukwa region is situated on the southwestern part of Tanzania between latitude 50 and 90 south of the equator and longitude 300 to 330 east. The study was conducted in Sumbawanga rural, Sumbawanga urban and Nkasi districts of Rukwa region. About 90-95 percent of human population in the region is found in the rural area and is mainly engaged in subsistence farming and livestock keeping. According to 2002 population and housing census the population of the region was 1,141,743. Fishing is important activity for those living near Lakes Tanganyika and Rukwa. Livestock keeping is the second dominant economic activity after crop production. The 2002/2003 estimates show that the region had 503,727 heads of cattle. About 99 % of the cattle kept are indigenous.  Livestock production systems in the region are characterized by minimal management inputs in terms of breeding, disease control and nutrition, and are mainly traditional and subsistence oriented.

Iringa region is situated on the South Western part of Tanzania between latitudes 7⁰.10’ and 7⁰.5’ South of the equator and between longitudes 33⁰.8’ and 37⁰.0’ east. The study was conducted in Iringa rural, Kilolo and Mufindi districts. Iringa region enjoys favourable climatic conditions for both crops and livestock production. The rainfall pattern is unimodal and usually commences from November through to April and its amount ranges from 1000 to 1600 mm. Thus, the prolonged dry season starts from May to October and is a limiting factor for forage availability during this time of the year. Fishing is also an important activity for those living near Mtera dam and Lake Nyasa. About 90-93 percent of human population in Iringa region is found in the rural areas and is mainly engaged in subsistence farming and livestock keeping. According to 2002 population and housing census, the population of the region was 1,495,333. Livestock keeping is the second dominant economic activity after crop production. The 2002/2003 estimates show that the region had 409,317 heads of cattle.

Field data collection

In Rukwa region the study was carried out on February, 2007 in Sumbawanga rural, Sumbawanga urban and Nkasi districts. Divisions, wards and villages which are known to keep typical Ufipa cattle were purposely selected. The survey work started in Sumbawanga rural in which pure Ufipa cattle could be found so that the team could characterize and familiarize with the features of the Ufipa cattle. 

In Iringa region multistage sampling technique was used in this study. Whereas District, Division, Ward and Village constituted the sampling frame, the household was the sampling unit from which the data was collected. For the purpose of this study, Divisions, Wards and Villages which are known to keep typical Iringa red cattle were purposely selected.

In all the cases, the primary data were collected using structured questionnaires.  The data colleted included general information on household characteristics, livestock production and management practices, phenotypic characteristics and reproduction. For characterization of the cattle, the descriptors provided by SADC/UNDP/FAO PROJECT RAF/97/03 were used and the system has been used elsewhere (Msanga et al 2001 and Nalaila 2005). Field observations including body measurements such as girth, height, length, shank, thickness of tails at base, ears at the widest area were also carried out.  

Data processing and analysis 

Data collected were compiled, coded and analyzed to generate descriptive statistics such as percentages and frequencies using the statistical package for Social sciences (SPSS) computer programme. Means and range parameters for various body measurements that were measured in the field were tabulated using Microsoft excel.

Results and Discussion

Cattle Management

Ninety percent of farmers interviewed reported that their animals are communally grazed and are normally herded both during the dry and wet seasons. Communal grazing is common in Tanzania mainly due to lack of land ownership. Herding of cattle was mainly done by boys, adult males and hired labour.  

In the study area, natural pastures are the major feed resource available. It is continuously grazed.  During wet season (November-April) local cattle depend on natural pastures while during the dry season (May-October) they mainly depend on standing hay and crop residues available after crop harvest. It was reported that, although during the wet season pastures are abundant; oxen tend to lose weights. This is due to the fact that during this period the animals are actively engaged in farm activities.  It is also during this period when kraals (open enclosures where animals are kept) are full of mud and all the animals (young and adults) spend the whole night in the kraal while standing. In dry season usually oxen gain weight because of limited draft work and presence of crop residues. Results from the three surveyed districts show that supplementation using commercial feeds (high energy and protein concentrates) is not practiced.

Among the Ufipa cattle some farmers (59.3%) allow their calves to go for grazing with adult cattle after 3 months of age as milking is rarely done. However, a small portion of farmers (8.3 %) reported to graze their calves with adult cattle from the age of 6 months. In Iringa milking is done once a day around 9.00 am, after milking, the calf is allowed to suckle the remaining milk from its dam. Only high potential cows are used for harvesting the milk. Young calves (< 2 weeks) are usually tethered and left around homesteads. During wet season, calves of this age are occasionally tethered in the kitchen to protect them from cold weather and rain. When their mothers come back from grazing, they join them and suckle again. Usually calves are separated from their dams during evening times, so as to prepare animals for the subsequent morning milking.

Majority of farmers (95.6%) interviewed indicated to castrate their cattle at an age of more than 12 months (ranging from 1 – 2 years). The main reasons for castration were: to prepare it for draft work and for better temperament. Since there is a wide use of oxen in activities related to crop production, possession of oxen rather than intact bulls is given a higher priority in majority of households. Thus most of male cattle kept in a household are mainly castrates. The farmers reported that castration at lower than one year of age may impair growth of the animal. In Rukwa region ploughing is done by castrates only while in Iringa sometimes entire bulls are used.  

Ufipa cattle 

Phenotypic characteristic of Ufipa cattle

Among the East African Shorthorn zebu the Ufipa cattle are of medium body frame ( Payne 1990) estimated at 300 – 400 kg for mature cattle.  From the same source the size is about or slightly bigger than the Maasai strain of the EA Shorthorn Zebu.  The horns are long lyre shaped and grow upwards and then forwards. The Ufipa cattle are of Zebu conformation with marked Sanga features.  The Sanga features are the position and shape of the hump and size of the horns. The coat colour varies from black, brown, grey or multicolour, where more than one colour are found in one animal.  The multicolor are black and white or brown and white and the coat pattern is mainly spotted with few pied. There are also wide variations in horn shape and hump size. The hump is in a cervico-thoracic position; it varies in size and ranges from small for females to medium in males, rounded from front to back and hangs backwards in bulls. The udder is moderately well developed with rather small teats that are placed close together and the dewlap is medium. Off types include polled animals, animals with big humps and horns with lateral orientation. Plate 1 gives a picture of typical Ufipa cattle.

Body measurements of mature Ufipa cows and mature castrates.

From the survey more than 95%  of the indigenous cattle kept by the farmers in Sumbawanga district and Nkasi are pure Ufipa (Table 1).  From districts statistics, the population of indigenous cattle in Rukwa region is over 0.5 million heads of cattle, indicating that this strain of cattle is still in large numbers.  What puts the population at risk of genetic erosion is the breeding management where the breeding males are the inferior ones.  Furthermore, there lots of Sukuma and Tarime cattle that are being introduced in the districts particularly Nkasi and Sumbawanga urban.   Given these situations the risk status can be classified as need to monitor the breeding programmes and control of cattle movements.

Uses of Ufipa Cattle and farmers preferences

The roles performed by Ufipa indigenous cattle in the study area are presented in Table 2.  In all the three districts surveyed, the results showed that the main purposes of keeping Ufipa cattle were (in order of importance): draft power, social cultural values, manure, cash from live sales. It was observed that, cattle in Rukwa region are mainly kept to support crop production. More than 80 % of the farmers use draft power for activities such as ploughing, planting, weeding and transportation of farm produce. The importance of draft power is expected to increase in the future due to increasing human population pressure. The animal manure is used as one way for enhancing nutrients recycling in the farming community. Farmers also use these animals as a source of income through live sales to meet family needs such as fertilizers, farm equipments and school fees. Milk production as a purpose of keeping Ufipa cattle appeared to be of little importance and famers claimed that the milk drinking habit has just been introduced by pastoralists who have recently settled in their area.

Ufipa cattle are preferred due to their superior provision of draft power, their resistance to diseases and parasites and their large body size ( Table 3). Further more, mature Ufipa cattle are relatively larger in body size compared to other types of Zebu cattle like Sukuma and Tarime found in Rukwa region. Their larger body size does not only have implications on expected draft ability, but also on higher cash income during live sales. Large body size of Ufipa cattle also attracts the Sukuma people (other agro-pastoralists who migrated into the region) to buy them frequently and sell them later at higher prices.

Reproduction Performance

The reproductive parameters of Ufipa cattle reported by farmers are shown in Table 4. Ufipa cattle attain sexual maturity at an average age of 3 years and calf for the first time at the age of about 4 years. They take long to reach sexual maturity most probably due to poor nutrition and diseases. The study showed that the calving interval was 16 months, this is shorter than what has been reported in other places in the Southern Highlands (Mbwile et al 1995). Mukasa-Mugerwa (1989), reported that calving interval in zebu cattle range from 12 to 26 months. According to Sada (1968) calving intervals shorter than 14 months are very good, those of 14 –15 months are satisfactory and those greater than 15 months are unsatisfactory.  The estimated lactation yield of the cattle was 630 litres which is low mainly due to the short lactation length (Table 4).  Poor nutrition could be one reason for the short lactation, also short lactation lengths in zebu cattle are common (Thorpe et al 1980).

Breeding and selection

Breeding takes place during grazing in communal grazing areas, herds of cattle from different areas graze together. As a result, only a few farmers keep their own breeding bulls. The majority of farmers depend on bulls available in the communal grazing areas. In nearly all cases it is the immature or stunted bulls in the communal grazing herds that are used for breeding before they are castrated. Farmers reported to prefer the natural uncontrolled breeding system because it was cheaper than keeping own bull which would have been used for draft power. The main disadvantage of castrating good bulls for draft power is that it limits selection of breeding bulls that will result into good offspring for draft power thus negative selection. However, farmers indicated that if they have to make a choice of a cow or bull for breeding would base on draft ability, body size and colour. 

The survival of Ufipa cattle is threatened by the fact that farmers do not select better animals for breeding purposes. However, strong young bulls are frequently selected and castrated for provision of draft power. Thus unfit young bulls are left for breeding purpose. Another threat to this strain of cattle is crossbreeding with other zebu strains especially the Sukuma from agro pastoralists who have recently settled in large numbers.   

Iringa Red

Phenotypic characteristic of Iringa cattle

The Iringa red cattle strain, locally known as “Dungu” is a distinct Tanzania short horn Zebu cattle type. It appears to breed true since it presents consistent phenotypic characteristics including red ear tips, tail switch, brown muzzles, medium dewlaps, small navel flaps and red coat colour over the entire body (Plates 2 and 3). However, not all cattle with red coat colour found in the study area are typical Iringa red. Generally, horns of Iringa red cattle are medium, straight shaped and grow upwards. The coat colour varies from red, darkish-red, brown or multi-colour, where more than one colours are found in one animal.  The multicolor are red and white or brown and white and the coat pattern is mainly spotted with few pied. There are also wide variations in horn shape and hump size. Only a scanty proportion of cattle are polled. The hump is in a thoracic position; and varies in size and ranges from medium for females to large in males, rounded from front to back and hangs upright in bulls. The dewlap is medium, the udder is small with rather medium teats that are placed close together. Off types include polled animals, animals with small humps and horns with lateral orientation.

From the survey, the majority of the indigenous cattle kept by the farmers in Mufindi district are of pure Iringa red origin but some of the cattle are darkish red. Ear tips and tail switch are red in colour while the muzzle is brown. The predominant colour for hoof and horns is grey followed by cream. Ears are small, erect and carried horizontally with a flat profile. The back is straight and the rump profile is slopping. The navel flap is small while absent in some animals and the tail is long and thick at base. This strain is reported by farmers to be docile. Table 5 presents selected body measurements for mature cows, breeding bulls and castrates.  

The average heart girth values were 149 cm, 162 cm and 167 cm for entire mature cows, bulls and castrates respectively. Differences in physical body measurements are attributed to the differences in body size, body conditions and degree of fatness. Other linear measurements (shank, horns thickness, horns length, and distance between horns, tail length and circumference and ear width) were taken and values are shown in Table 5. Although these data are not very uniform, it appears that this cattle strain, even in absence of purposive selection for growth, could attain the live weight of above 400 kg when fully mature and thus can serve as good beef resource. 

Uses of Iringa red Cattle and Farmer preferences  

Overall, in Iringa region, Iringa red cattle are kept for provision of manure for improving soil fertility notably for crops production, as a source of draft power and for both milk production and sale purposes. Dowry and ceremonies ranked the least across the sampled districts. However, Table 5 shows that sales for cash generation are among important use of Iringa red cattle in Iringa rural district as compared to Kilolo and Mufindi districts. According to farmers, animals are usually sold for slaughter at old age or when animal’s health is questionable. At other times, financial stress can force farmers to sell their animals irrespective of those two conditions. In Iringa region, as elsewhere in agro pastoral communities, owning cattle is prestigious and confers a higher social status. 

Milk is more widely consumed among the Iringa red cattle owners and communities as opposed to the Ufipa cattle based communities. On average, Iringa red cow produces 2 liters per day and animals are milked once. The Iringa red cows show less potential for milk production compared to Ufipa cattle which produces 3 liters per day.

Table 7 presents information on the preferences for Iringa red cattle population. The information collected from the sampled villages showed that, Iringa red cattle are mainly preferred for tolerance to diseases (71.4%), draft power (57.1%) and work endurance (28.6%).

Production performances

Average milk production/cow/day was 2 litres and lactation length was 7 months. Normally milking is done only once per day during morning hours (around 9.00 am). It was further reported that, it is only a small proportion of milk which is harvested; a large proportion is left for the calf for its consumption. Thus, the reported milk production performance per cow is a conservative value since it is underestimated.

When there are several lactating cows at one time, only few cows are identified for milking. The rest are left to stay with their calves without being milked throughout their lactation period. This suggests that farmers from the surveyed areas are characterized by a wasteful lactation system. 

Reproductive performance

Reproductive parameters of Iringa red cattle as reported by farmers in this work showed that, Iringa red cattle attain sexual maturity at an average age of 36 months. Age at first calving was reported to be 48 months (Table 8). The age at sexual maturity lies within the range established for many Zebu strains (3 – 3.5 years). The study showed that, calving interval was about 18 months. This conforms to findings by Mukasa-Mugerwa (1989) of 12 – 26 months for the majority of Zebu cattle, but unsatisfactory (>15 months) as illustrated by Sada (1968).

Breeding and selection

No controlled breeding system was evident in the study sites. In this case, cows and bulls from different herds are communally grazed and thus random mating between Iringa red cattle and other types of cattle is inevitable.  Thus, the mating system to a large extent was observed to be natural uncontrolled. However, a larger proportion of both breeding bulls and cows in the herds were dominated by Iringa red cattle (72.5 %). One good breeding practice that was visually observed and reported in many herds in Mufindi district was the availability of Iringa red breeding bulls. The latter had acceptable conformation and bigger body size. In farmer’s group interviews, majority of livestock keepers indicated that they select superior bulls for breeding purposes. In addition, farmers showed that they castrate inferior bulls so that they are not allowed for breeding purposes.  At other times, farmers buy superior bulls from elsewhere to be used for breeding in the herds. This signifies a breeding strategy employed by farmers in rural areas in maintaining Iringa red cattle shaped in its form as we see it today.

Conclusions and Recommendations

• From the study it was concluded that the two strains of cattle studied have got distinct features that make them deserve to be recognized as separate strains/breeds of the Tanzanian cattle. These strains of cattle have been preserved by their owners due to the fact that they fit in the production system practiced in the areas.  The two strains of cattle studied are more of draft and beef strains that can attain acceptable standards under good management. The Ufipa cattle have got distinct features that combine both Zebu and Sanga traits.  They are medium sized, long horned and have cervico-thoracic humps. The number of Ufipa cattle is fairly large and its risky status fall under need to monitor. The major constraint to the survival of this strain/breed of cattle is poor breeding management where there is no selection for breeding bulls and the bull to cow ratio is very low due to excessive castration. The Iringa red cattle have got distinct features that distinguish it from other Tanganyika Shorthorn Zebu strains. The number of cattle is reasonable the only risk comes from interbreeding with cattle from Central and Lake Regions of Tanzania.

• The two strains studied have shown to have special features that the communities that keep them would like to posses. The cattle in particular the Fipa could be developed as good beef breeds. It is therefore recommended that the best way to maintain the cattle strains is to establish breed societies where breeding methods can strictly be adhered to. Furthermore the government should establish a nucleus herd in which strict breeding and selection can be observed and the nucleus herd becomes the source of purebred stock.

Acknowledgment

The authors express their gratitude to the Director of Research, Training and Extension of the Ministry of Livestock Development who made possible for this work to be carried out in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. The financial support received from the Ministry is highly appreciated.

We highly acknowledge the good cooperation received for the whole period of the study from the Iringa Regional Secretariat and Mufindi, Kilolo and Iringa rural District Councils. Special thanks are to Dr. Mbunda and Mrs. Msomba both from Mufindi DALDO’s office for their excellent leadership and logistic support during the study period. We are also highly indebted to the good cooperation received for the whole period of the study from the Rukwa Regional Secretariat, Sumbawanga Town Council, Sumbawanga and Nkasi district Councils. Special thanks are to Mr R. Maengo and W.G. Kansapa from Sumbwanga Rural DALDO office and Mr. Mlay from Nkasi DALDO Office for their excellent leadership and logistic support during the study period.

The assignment would not have been successfully completed without the assistance of the village government leaders and the farmers themselves. Their support is very much appreciated.

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Received 12 September 2011; Accepted 25 June 2012; Published 1 July 2012

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