The Sayaguesa is an endangered Spanish breed 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 m ...

. It is named for the

comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...

Sayago Sayago is a ''comarca'' (county, but with no administrative role) in the province of Zamora in central Spain. Geography The ''comarca'' is located at the southwest of the Zamora Province. The main geographical characteristic is the isolatio ...

in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Zamora, in the western part of the

autonomous community eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administra ...

of Castile and León, and is raised almost exclusively in that area. It may also be known as the Zamorana, the Moles de Sayago or the Castellana variedad Sayaguesa. It was traditionally kept mainly for draught work, but is now raised principally for meat.

History

The Sayaguesa was traditionally kept mainly for draught work; with the mechanisation of agriculture following the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, this use declined. In the 1960s there were successive attempts to improve productive qualities by

cross-breeding 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 ...

with Friesian,

Braunvieh The Braunvieh (German, "brown cattle") or Swiss Brown is a breed or group of breeds of domestic cattle originating in Switzerland and distributed throughout the Alpine region. It falls within the "Brown Mountain" group of cattle breeds. The Swis ...

and Charolais, and later with other breeds. From 1970 the Sayaguesa was included with other regional breeds under the denomination Morenas del Noroeste. In 1997 it achieved separate recognition among the breeds identified by the

Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food ( es, Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, MAPA), is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for proposing and carrying out the government policy on agricultural, livest ...

, the Spanish ministry of agriculture, as "at risk of extinction". Registration of the Sayaguesa began in 1980, and in 1981 a

breeders' association Breed clubs are associations or clubs with activities centered on a single, specific breed of a particular species of domesticated animal. The purpose of the association will vary with the species of animal and the goals and needs of the members o ...

, the Asociación Española de Criadores de Ganado Bovino de Raza Sayaguesa, was formed. In 1998 a genealogical

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. Between 1950 and 1981 the population of the Sayaguesa fell by about a quarter, or some 17,000 head. By 2009 only about 450 head remained, on 29 farms. At the end of 2015 the population was 1,612, of which almost all were in Castilla Léon.

Characteristics

The Sayaguesa is one of the largest indigenous Spanish cattle breeds. It displays considerable

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most an ...

: bulls may weigh up to and cows up to . The height at the

withers The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, it is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, cattle a ...

averages for bulls and for cows. The coat is black, sometimes lighter on the underparts. There may be a paler dorsal stripe, often absent in cows. The inside of the ears and the area round the mouth are pale. The hooves, muzzle and natural openings are black, the horns are white at the base and tipped with black. The head is relatively small, with a concave profile. Calves are born red, and only later turn black. The Sayaguesa is hardy, robust and frugal, and well adapted to the poor pastures and harsh environment of its native area.

Use

The Sayaguesa was traditionally kept mainly for draught work; with the mechanisation of agriculture following the

, this use declined, and breeding was directed towards meat production. Calves are slaughtered at an average age of 12 months; yield is approximately 55%. Pairs of cows may sometimes be

yoke A yoke is a wooden beam sometimes used between a pair of oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together on a load when working in pairs, as oxen usually do; some yokes are fitted to individual animals. There are several types of yoke, u ...

d to carts for folklore or festival occasions. The Sayaguesa has been used in nature conservation and in attempts to re-create the extinct aurochs.

References

{{Cattle breeds of Spain Cattle breeds originating in Spain Province of Zamora Cattle breeds