Ongole cattle

Last updated

Ongole
The Ongole Bull of Moses.jpg
Conservation status
Other names
  • Nellore
Country of originIndia
Distribution
  • Cuba
  • Indonesia [3]
Use
  • draught animal
  • bull racing
  • bull fighting
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    570 kg [2]
  • Female:
    268 kg [2]
Height
  • Male:
    150 cm [2]
  • Female:
    130 cm [2]
Skin colourpigmented, dark
Coatwhite or light grey; black markings on head, neck, hump, and feet
Horn statushorned (short, thick, stumpy)
  • Cattle
  • Bos (primigenius) indicus

The Ongole is an Indian breed of zebuine cattle. It originates in what is now Prakasam District in the state of Andhra Pradesh in south-east India, and is named for the city of Ongole, the capital of that district. Because Ongole taluk was formerly in Nellore District, it was at one time known as the Nellore. It is the southernmost of the short-horned zebu group of breeds. [4] : 419 

Contents

The Ongole has contributed to the development of several breeds in other countries, among them the American Brahman of the United States and the Nelore of Brazil, which numbers many millions; [a] some native Indian stock has been sold in Brazil for very high prices. [5]

History

The Ongole is a traditional breed of zebuine cattle of the state of Andhra Pradesh, and is named for the city of Ongole, the capital of Prakasam District of the state. Because Ongole taluk was formerly in Nellore District, it was at one time known as the Nellore. [6] : 117  [7] [8] It is the southernmost of the short-horned zebu group of breeds. [4] : 419 

In 1858 a show of the cattle was organised by the district collector of Nellore district at Addanki; it was held annually for a further eleven years until 1872. [9] [10] In 1981 it was revived after a void of almost fifty years; [10] it was held again in Guntur in 1997. [9] A breed society, the Indian Ongole Cattle Breeders' Association, was formed in 1981. [10]

Stock has been exported at various times to several countries, among them Brazil, Fiji, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the United States and various countries in South-East Asia; in the twenty-first century it is reported to DAD-IS by India, Cuba and the Philippines – where it has given rise to two local sub-breeds, the Peranakan Ongole and the Sumba Ongole. [3] It has contributed to the development of several breeds in other countries, among them the American Brahman and Santa Gertrudis in the United States and – notably – the Nelore of Brazil, which numbers many millions. [a]

The mascot (Veera) for the 2002 National Games of India was a human figure with the head and tail of a bull, supposedly of this breed. [9] In 2024 an Ongole cow was sold for $4.82 million (approximately ₹41 crore) at an auction in Brazil, the highest price on record for a cow. [11]

Characteristics

The cattle are predominantly white, although red and red-and-white animals can occur; males may have grey markings on the forequarters – the head, neck, shoulders and hump; there may be black markings on the legs. [6] : 123  [12] Average body weights are 268 kg for cows and 570 kg for males; average heights are 130 cm and 150 cm respectively. [7] : 264 

The cattle are well adapted to tropical conditions and have some resistance to insect-borne disease. [13] : 27  [14]

Use

The cattle are bred principally for draught work in agriculture and transport; [15] the oxen are powerful and capable of heavy work, but are slow. [6] : 124 

Cows are commonly kept also for milk. Yields of 407–778 kg in a lactation varying from 179 to 261 days were reported in 2000, substantially lower than the yields of 1136–1591 kg reported in the mid-twentieth century. [7] : 264  The fat content of the milk varies from 3% to 5%. [12]

Notes

  1. 1 2 In 2024 a population of just over 7.5 million was reported [16]

References

  1. ↑ Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to: The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN   9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Breed data sheet: Ongole / India (Cattle). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed April 2026.
  3. 1 2 Transboundary breed: Ongole. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed April 2026.
  4. 1 2 Marleen Felius (2025). Cattle Breeds: An Encyclopedia. Leiden: Brill. ISBN   9789004449015.
  5. ↑ Nikhila Henry (7 March 2025). 'The world's most expensive cattle': Booming in Brazil, dwindling in India. The Indian Express. Accessed April 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 N.R. Joshi, Ralph W. Phillips (1953). Zebu Cattle of India and Pakistan. FAO Agriculture Studies No. 19. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
  7. 1 2 3 Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN   9781780647944.
  8. ↑ Valerie Porter, Ian Lauder Mason (2020). Mason's World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types and Varieties (sixth edition). Wallingford; Boston: CABI. ISBN   9781789241532.
  9. 1 2 3 [TNN] (12 December 2002). Bull parade hits oblivion track. Times of India. Accessed April 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 M. Narendra Nath (1993). The Ongole cattle: A versatile resource for the tropics. World Animal Review/Revue Mondiale de Zootechnie/Revista Mundial de Zootecnia, 76. 1993 (3).
  11. ↑ [s.n.] (13 February 2025). This Andhra-origin breed becomes world's most expensive cow at Rs 41 crore in Brazil but is neglected in India. The Economic Times. Accessed April 2026.
  12. 1 2 Ongole. New Delhi: Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying. Archived 23 December 2013.
  13. ↑ G.K. Gaur, S.N. Kaushik, R.C. Garg (2002). Ongole Cattle Status in India. Animal Genetic Resources Information. 32 (2002): 27–34. doi:10.1017/S1014233900001528.
  14. ↑ S. Murali (13 August 2022). Ongole breed of cattle back in favour. The Hindu. Accessed April 2026.
  15. ↑ S. Murali (12 August 2017). For sheer love of the majestic bull. The Hindu. Accessed April 2026.
  16. Breed data sheet: Nelore / Brazil (Cattle). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed April 2026.


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