The Bali cattle (''Bos javanicus domesticus''), also known as Balinese cattle, domestic banteng or Bali banteng, are a domesticated species of bovine which originated from the

banteng The banteng (''Bos javanicus''; ), also known as tembadau, is a species of cattle found in Southeast Asia. The head-and-body length is between . Wild banteng are typically larger and heavier than their domesticated counterparts, but are otherw ...

(''Bos javanicus''). Bali cattle are an important source of

meat Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...

and are used for

plowing A plough or plow ( US; both ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses, but in modern farms are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden, iron or ...

. They are thought to have originated in

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

History and range

The Bali cattle are one of the few species of true cattle that did not descend from the extinct

aurochs The aurochs (''Bos primigenius'') ( or ) is an extinct cattle species, considered to be the wild ancestor of modern domestic cattle. With a shoulder height of up to in bulls and in cows, it was one of the largest herbivores in the Holocen ...

. Their domestication occurred around 3500 BC, originating from banteng. Bali cattle have been introduced to

East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

as livestock, and account for about one fourth of the total cattle population of Indonesia. In eastern islands, they account for up to four-fifths of the cattle. In the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

of Australia, they have escaped from captivity and roam in large herds damaging crops.

Characteristics

Bali cattle have a hump, a white rump patch, white stockings, and white extending under the belly. Females are reddish-yellow, and males are reddish brown, turning to a dark brown with maturity. Compared to banteng, Bali cattle are smaller, demonstrate less obvious sexual dimorphism, have smaller horns, and have less developed withers. Body weights of males average from 335 to 363 kilograms, while females average from 211 kilograms to 242 kilograms. Bali cattle are noted for their remarkable ability to grow on low-quality fodder and their high fertility.

Husbandry

The temperament of the Bali cattle is timid and deer-like, making them suitable for plowing rice paddy fields, but their hooves are too soft to pull cargo on paved roads. Mechanization and urbanization are making the cattle redundant as draft animals, however. Meat from young Bali cattle is noted for being exceptionally tender. Feeding the Banteng

Problems with the livestock include small birth and weaning weights, high calf mortality rates, a slow growth rates, and low milk production.

Breeding

Artificial insemination was first introduced to Bali cattle in southern Sulawesi and Timor in 1975 and 1976. It has been performed in Bali since the 1980s with semen from the National Artificial Insemination Centre of Singosari, and semen has been produced and distributed by the Artificial Insemination Centre of the Bali Province since 2001.

Disease

Domestic banteng are noted for their high resistance to most diseases. However, they are susceptible to malignant catarrhal. The cattle are also very susceptible to Jembrana disease, which was first described in the cattle in 1964.

Conservation

The population of Bali cattle has been declining in most places, due to greater consumption of the cattle than local capacity to supply. In recent years, there have been calls to increase the population of domestic banteng. Ronny Rachman Noor from

Bogor Agricultural Institute IPB University (, abbreviated as IPB) is a state-run agricultural university based in the regency of Bogor, Indonesia. The institute began as an agricultural school formed by the Dutch colonial regime in the early 20th century. After independenc ...

has charged that the Indonesian government has undervalued the cattle simply because they were local, and that national policies must be enacted to optimally preserve the cattle. The Indonesian government has understood the need to explore new strategies to improve the low productivity of Bali banteng and address concerns relating to husbandry and nutrition, but this adoption has been historically slow.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q27961539 Bovines Mammals described in 1905 Domesticated animals Mammals of Indonesia