Boran Origin

Boran cattle were domesticated in 3 parts of the world:

• Bos Indicus (Zebu cattle) domesticated in the Indus Valley (Pakistan) 4000BC
• European Bos Taurus domesticated in eastern Europe 6000BC
• African Bos Taurus domesticated in the eastern Sub-Saharan area 8000BC

Cattle were introduced into Africa:

• European Bos Taurus The first introduction was hump less taurine Hamatic Longhorns(Bos Taurus) and they arrived in the Nile Delta around 6000BC. The second introduction, that of the taurine Shorthorn (B. Taurus) supposedly occurred about 2750-2500BC.
• Bos indicus The first introduction of the humped zebu Bos indicus cattle was early as 2000-1788BC. The second introduction, associated with the Afab invasion of Africa, occurred from about 699AD.
• Africa Bos Taurus Domesticated in Africa.

Genetic make-up of the Boran

Through DNA sampling Hanotte et al have analyzed the genetic make-up of the Boran and it consists of the following proportions:

• European Bos Taurus - 24 %
• Bos Indicus - 64%
• African Bos Taurus - 12%

The Boran developed in eastern Africa and the main Boran hotspot was the Borana plateau in southern Ethiopia.  That was a point where all the differen breeds migrated through to their various destinations in Africa.  The Boran developed into the dominate breed of eastern Africa and especially in Kenya, where the Kenyan Boran Cattle Breeders’ Sociery (BCBS) have bred the “Improved Boran” since the turn of the century. “While the Boran breeders have greatly improved the beef conformation of their animals, they never lost sight of the important qualities of the indigenous Boran”.  To quote the BCBS , as far as can be determined this is the onl breed in Africa (and therefore the world) to have this specific combination of genes.  It must be properly understood that the Boran is a breed that had it’s last infusion of “new” genes in 700AD. The Boran is therefore NOT a synthetic or compound breed that have been crosbred in the last few decades.  It has beed bred as a pure breed for 1300 years.  The importande of this to the commercial breeder is that the boran will have much stonger hybird vigor than mordern compound breeds.