CATTLE: Bonsmara

Country of Origin

South Africa

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Australian Status

 

 

International Status

“The Bonsmara is mainly bred in Africa, 60,000 registered females are currently being performance recorded with the commercial and seedstock herds, adding to around 4 million head.”(Cattle Site)

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Uses

Beef

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Breed traits

The Bonsmara is a medium framed, smooth-coated beef breed, known for heat tolerance, tick resistance, ease of calving, excellent mothering abilities, and quality beef.  The ability to raise a high-scoring calf to weaning age even in marginal conditions is one of the criteria for registration in the South African Studbook.  The bulls have a small cervico-thoracic hump and an adult height of 123 cm.  Although horned, the breed society in South Africa requires they be polled.

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History

The Bonsmara has been scientifically bred and strictly selected for economical production in the extensive cattle grazing regions of South Africa. The Bonsmara is a product of Bos taurus/Sanga cross.  “Bonsmara was bred at the Mara and Messina Research stations between 1937 to 1963 by scientists under the watchful eye of Prof Jan Bonsma. The name Bonsmara was derived from Prof Bonsma’s surname and Mara, where the first crossbred calves were born.”(Bonsmara SA)   The breed was developed after years of research and experimentation coupled with excellent record keeping, which resulted in a breed comprising “3/16 Hereford, 3/16 Shorthorn and 5/8 Africkander. The breed was recognized in 1964, and its breed improvement program has been operating since then. The breed was registered in 1972.”(Alpha-Bonsmara)

History in Australia

Some 400 Bonsmara embryos were first imported into Australia in 1998 from the Republic of South Africa, followed by semen from the USA.

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Breed Organisation

The Bonsmara Cattle Breeders Society of Australia was formed in 2000.  There is currently an active Facebook group at Bonsmara Cattle Breeders Society of Australia

There is also a Bonsmara Facebook group at Bonsmara Beef Cattle Australia.

The breed society in its home country of South Africa is Bonsmara SA

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Australian Population

2022 Census:  49 males; 434 females; 2 herds

References (the above information was cited from the following sites)

The Cattle Site
Bonsmara SA
Alpha Bonsmara Group Botswana

Page by Carol Wormald, June 2025

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