The Camargue is a

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

of domestic

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

native to the

Camargue Camargue (, also , , ; oc, label= Provençal, Camarga) is a region of France located south of Arles, between the Mediterranean Sea and the two arms of the Rhône delta. The eastern arm is called the ''Grand Rhône''; the western one is the ''P ...

marshlands of the

river delta A river delta is a landform shaped like a triangle, created by deposition (geology), deposition of sediment that is carried by a river and enters slower-moving or stagnant water. This occurs where a river enters an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, res ...

of the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

in southern France. It is used for the traditional sport of '' course camarguaise'', a kind of bloodless bull-fight, but not for the '' corrida'', Iberian-style bull-fighting. It is one of two cattle breeds raised in

semi-feral A semi-feral animal lives predominantly in a feral state but has some contact and experience with humans. This may be because it was born in a domesticated state and then reverted to life in wild conditions, or it may be an animal that grew up in ...

conditions in the Camargue; the other is the

Brava Brava or La Brava may refer to: Geography *Brava, Cape Verde, a volcanic island *Brava, Costa Rica, an island of Costa Rica (Isla Brava) *Costa Brava, a coastal area Mediterranean of northeast Spain * Barawa, a town in Somalia commonly known as ' ...

or Race de Combat, a fighting breed. Since 1996 it has been officially known as the Provençal: Raço di Biòu.

History

The Raço di Biòu has long been raised in

conditions in the wetlands of the

, in the

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...

Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and large ...

in the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pref ...

, and of the Petite Camargue, in the département of

Gard Gard () is a department in Southern France, located in the region of Occitanie. It had a population of 748,437 as of 2019;Occitanie Occitanie may refer to: *Occitania, a region in southern France called ''Occitanie'' in French *Occitania (administrative region) Occitania ( ; french: Occitanie ; oc, Occitània ; ca, Occitània ) is the southernmost administrative region of ...

. It is one of two cattle breeds raised in the area, the other being the

or Race de Combat, a

fighting Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

breed. Both are associated with the rural and cultural traditions of the Camargue, including the

gardian A is a mounted cattle herdsman in the Camargue delta in Provence, southern France. The work is akin to that of the Mexican , the North American cowboy, the Tuscan buttero or the Portuguese . Gardians ride Camargue horses. See also * Camarg ...

s – mounted herders who manage the livestock in

manade A manade (Provençal dialect, prov. ''menada'', originally from Latin, lat. ''manus'' = hand) is a term used mainly in the Camargue area in France for a semi-feral group of Camargue cattle or Camargue (horse), horses led by a gardian, or herder. I ...

s – and the small white

horses that they ride. In 1996 beef from the two breeds of the Camargue, or from

cross-breed A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. ''Crossbreeding'', sometimes called "designer crossbreeding", is the process of breeding such an organism, While crossbreeding is used to main ...

s between them, received

Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...

status as "Taureau de Camargue". The name of the Camargue breed was changed to Raço di Biòu, and a

herd-book A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders ...

was established. The population in 2004 was estimated at 5950. In 2014 it was reported to be 5332.

Characteristics

The Raço di Biòu is uniformly black, or occasionally dark brown. The mucous membranes are dark. The horns are large; they are grey at the base, creamy white in the middle, and dark at the tips.

Use and management

The Raço di Biòu is raised principally for the traditional sport of the '' course camarguaise'', a type of bloodless bull-running in which castrated bullocks are used. In the ring, ''raseteurs'' must try to remove a

cockade A cockade is a knot of ribbons, or other circular- or oval-shaped symbol of distinctive colours which is usually worn on a hat or cap. Eighteenth century In the 18th and 19th centuries, coloured cockades were used in Europe to show the allegia ...

from the forehead of the bull. The bullocks are driven on foot to the arena by mounted guardians (the ''abrivado''), and returned to the manade in the same way (the ''bandido''). The meat of the Raço di Biòu, along with that of the Brava cattle breed and crosses between the two, can under strict conditions of pasturage and of zone and methods of production be marketed with the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée certification of origin as "Taureau de Camargue"; animals that have appeared in the bull-ring are excluded. Approximately 2000 head are sold each year for beef. The Raço di Biòu is managed extensively in the wetlands of the Camargue. The cattle are kept in manades, and herded by mounted guardians. The cattle contribute to the maintenance of large areas of Camargue wetland, and are also regarded as a tourist attraction. The administration of the

Parc naturel régional de Camargue The Parc naturel régional de Carmargue is a protected area which was designated in 1970 along the shoreline of the Camargue, France. The park protects a wetland environment and an adjacent marine area. The boundaries of the park have been expanded ...

participates in several aspects of the management of the breed, including registration of births and matings, and organisation of ''course camarguaises''.

References

{{Cattle breeds of France Camargue Cattle breeds originating in France Cattle breeds