Cattle : NGUNI

Country of origin : South Africa. Originally from northern Africa, they migrated with people to central Africa, then southern Africa, believed to be thousands of years ago.

Australian Status: 

International status: 1,400 registered in South Africa.

Arrived in Australia: 1990's.

Australian Population: 2022: 200 cows, 100 bulls, 11 breeders. Estimate kindly supplied by E. Rouse. 

Distribution: Found in South Africa, Australia.

History: A Sanga breed. Pronounced en-goo-nee. Named for the Nguni people who took them south in Africa. Brought to Australia from South Africa in the 1990's, and more in the last decade, as embryos. Ideal hot dry climate cattle. Kept by Bantu speaking people and known as the cattle of the Zulu people.

Work on the breed in the 1930's by Professor Curzon began the ball rolling to consolidate and define the breed. By 1985 the breed society was accepted into the South African Stud Book and Livestock Improvement Association which is exacting about breeds recognised.

In the 1970's the breed was in danger of extinction by crossbreeding. Ted Reilly established Mkhaya Game Reserve in Swaziland, Africa, in the 1960's, chiefly to preserve the Nguni cattle in their pure form. The cattle lived in the bush alongside antelope, impala and other African animals. Selling excess cattle helped fund the wildlife preservation program; an extraordinary story of conservation and bringing back wildlife species that had been lost to the area.

In Australia the breed has been established through upgrades via imported straws to begin with, and ET. 

Breed Traits: Described by their devotees as the most beautiful cattle, as the shiny smooth coats are not only parasite resistant but beautifully marked. Colour of black through to chocolate and honey colours are seen, with white usually on the belly, face, rear end, tail tassle and back like the riggit pattern; also in speckles, patches and roaning. Some are predominately white, with red, chocolate or black speckles. Hides have considerable value both as decor and good quality leather - the hides were once made into Zulu war shields.

Outstanding fertility and early sexual maturity.  Ease of calving - low birth weight calves of 20 to 22 kilos, grow rapidly. Cows have a distinctive sloping rump which gives a greater pelvic area, hence eases birth. The males have a small to medium sized hump, the females have no hump.

Famous for tender eating. The meat is dark, and praised by butchers for ease of processing in break down, and presenting very well. It looks good cooked too. Grass fed Nguni beef is a gourmet product.

Incredible resistance to tick, and all external and internal parasites. Although once bred for milk too, this has been neglected, as beef is the primary aim. Bulls are 500 to 600 kilos, cows 300 to 400 kilos.

Ability to thrive on basic fare, renown for hardiness - on the range in both Africa and Australia they are only provided with a mineral lick, yet finish superbly. Drought does not worry them. Higher levels than any other cattle breed of blood urea and rumen ammonia shows they very efficiently convert poor quality feed into meat.

Both horned and polled lines are bred, and have been in the breed historically. Many like the horns for natural armoury effects such as better herd behaviour, greater foraging ability (cattle with armoury are more bold and seek better feed further away) and to help dissipate heat.  Horn shape is like Bos taurus, growing to point forward after sweeping out, a good defensive shape. Horns do not grow to an excessive size. Black tips on horns.  Famous for a placid temperament - sought after to cross for that reason alone.

Organisation: Edwin Rous' Henham Nguni site from which some information herein is drawn, and Dr. Gawie Roux's Genesis site on which are details for the Australian Nguni Association. There is a  good Facebook group for Nguni in Australia. Mt Pleasant station in northern Queensland is doing a grand job using Nguni as part of their conservation grazing program.

Additional Notes:

Photo : Nguni Cattle by Justin Jerez, WikimediaCommons.

Page by Janet Lane

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