Butana
Synonyms:
Red Desert cattle, Dar El Reih, Dongola, Shendi, Bambawa
Subgroup:
North Sudan Zebu, Red Desert cattle
Special Characteristics:
Predominantly red coat colour; typical dairy characteristics with established history of active selection for milk production. This was also demonstrated on-station at Atbara, Nisheishiba and Ghurash farms.
Group:
Main Location:
Inhabits the Butana plain in central Sudan, an acacia scrub and desert area lying between the Blue Nile and Atbara rivers. They are referred to as Dar El Reih cattle across the White Nile in the northern part of Darfur and Kordofan.
Origin:
Descended from the first zebu introduction into Africa from West Asia. Remained largely with nomadic pastoralists (Batahin, Shukria), but the Dongola and Shendi strains are kept by settled farmers.
Species: