Zulu
Synonyms:
Nguni
Subgroup:
Nguni
Special Characteristics:
Fertile with excellent mothering abilities; tolerant of external and internal parasites; tolerant of tick-borne diseases; good walking and foraging ability; adapted to a hot humid environment; coloured coarse hair/wool, can be used for carpets; small to medium frames; coat colour is variable, but brown and black variations are most common; males can be horned or polled; very short and almost non-existent ears that are often referred to as mouse ears (Ramsey et al., n.d.).
Group:
Main Location:
Limited to the Republic of South Africa; the normal production environment is hot, humid coastal bush veld to hot, dry bush veld (Ramsey et al., n.d.).
Origin:
The Nguni sheep of Zululand and Swaziland migrated to South Africa with the Nguni people between 200 and 400AD down the eastern coast to the areas where they are still found today in South Africa. Research flocks were established at the Makhathini Research Station below the Pongolo River Dam and at the University of Zululand near Empangeni. A small number is kept at the Willem Prinsloo Agricultural Museum to promote the conservation of the breed through sustainable use (Ramsey et al., n.d.).
Habitat:
Species: