Bartose

Cattle

In general, Sanga cattle were introduced into southern Africa when the Khoikhoi (Hottentots) first crossed the Zambezi River about 700AD with their Sanga cattle. Several waves of the Bantu people with various strains of Sanga cattle entered the region and settled. Tribal migration and cattle raids continued until recently; consequently the different breeds of Sanga today are related. The Barotse breed, also known as Lozi, Rowzi, Rozi or Baila, appears to have expanded after the Rinderpest epidemic (Felius, 1995). Their homeland is Barotseland of West Zambia and Southeast Angola. The territory is characterized by the flood plain of the Zambezi, extending into Angola on the west.The Barotse are big sanga type animals with large spreading, lyre-shaped horns. The usual coat colours are brown, dark red, fawn or black, sometimes mixed with white although pure white colour has never occurred. The hump is small, often barely visible in the cow. ref: agtr.ilri.org