Watusi Bull
Watusi cattle, also known as Ankole-Watusi, are known for their distinctively large horns.
Kingdom – Animalia
Phylum – Chordata
Class – Mammalia
Order – Artiodactyla
Family – Bovidae
Subfamily – Bovinae
Genus – Bos
Species – B. taurus/indicus hybrid
Common Names – Watusi, Ankole-Watusi
Originating in Africa, Watusi cattle can tolerate high and extreme temperatures very well. Their horns help them keep cool by circulating blood through them and then back into the body, which helps regulate their body heat.
Despite their large and fearsome-looking horns, Watusi cattle are quite docile. However, their horns can be formidable weapons if threatened.
The Watusi is known for its excellent maternal abilities, which is one of the qualities that make the cattle attractive to breeders. Compared to other cattle breeds, calves have a low birth weight. During daylight hours, calves will congregate together with a single cow designated to watch over them. At night, the entire herd will sleep surrounding the calves to protect them.
The main trait that separates Watusi cattle from other breeds is their large, thick horns. They have the largest circumference of any cattle breed: as much as 40 inches around.
These cattle come in a wide range of colors and patterns, but are typically red or reddish brown.
Watusi cattle can trace their lineage back over 6,000 years. They are sometimes called “the cattle of kings”. Long-horned cattle without humps similar to the Watusi appear in Egyptian hieroglyphics dating back to 4000 B.C. These “Egyptian Longhorns” would eventually make their way south throughout the rest of the African continent.
The Egyptian Longhorns were eventually bred with humped cattle (Zebu) originating from India and Pakistan. This produced the Sanga breed, on which the Watusi is based. The name Ankole comes from the Nkole tribe in Uganda, while the name Watusi comes from the Tutsi tribe in Rwanda and Burundi. Both tribes are known for their remarkable strains of Sanga cattle.
The large-horned Watusis were owned by the kings and chiefs of the Tutsi tribe, which is where the name “cattle of kings” derives from. Ankole-Watusi were considered sacred, and used for milk, but very seldom for meat.
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, Watusi cattle were sent to European zoos as a novelty, due to their distinctive giant horns. Soon after, they were sent to American zoos as well. Eventually, zoos began to focus less on novelty animals and more on conservation, so animals like the Watusi fell out of favor. The cattle in zoos were then sold off, and the Watusi breed as it is known today began to take root among American breeders.
In 1983 the Ankole-Watusi International Registry was created to raise awareness of the breed. In 1989 a breed standard was adopted to help promote the cattle as more than just a large-horned novelty. Today, there are thought to be 1500 Watusi cattle, with about 80% of them found in the United States.