Ankole-Watusi (cattle)

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Ankole Cattle at Woburn Safari Park

Ankole-Watusi cattle at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

Ankole-Watusi at the Natural Bridge Caverns Wildlife Park in Texas.

Detail photograph of Ankole horns.

Ankole-Watusi cattle are a breed of cattle native to Africa. They have very large, distinctive horns similar to a Texas Longhorn. They are sometimes known as Ankole or Watusi. Like many cattle, they are the descendents of the Aurochs who became extinct in the 17th century. Watusi are native to Africa and, for over 6000 years, have played a pivotal role in the lives of various African tribes - Tutsi, Ankole, Bahima, Bashi, Kigezi, and the Kivu - although the Tutsi are most often associated with the breed. The cattle provided food, currency, and tribal status. In Rwanda, where the Tutsi ruled, Watusi were known as "Insanga" or "the ones which were found" and "Inyambo" or "the cows with long, long horns." Those with the largest and longest horns belonged to the King and were considered sacred, with some individuals having horns that measure twelve feet from tip to tip. The breed is often referred to as the 'Cattle of Kings'.

Their digestive systems have the ability to utilize poor quality and limited quantities of food and water. These survival abilities have allowed them as a breed to not only survive the centuries in Africa but to become established on the continents of Europe, South America, Australia and North America.

The animals' large horns are honeycombed with blood vessels, and are used to thermo-regulate in hot temperatures. Blood moving through the horns is cooled by moving air, and then flows back into the body and lowers the animal's body temperature.

Watusi first came to America in the 1960s when Walter Schultz imported two bulls from Scandinavia and a female from Europe. Thanks to the efforts of private breeders, zoos, and associations, this magnificent animal is no longer endangered.

A Watusi steer named Lurch is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest horn circumference.