Conservation status | FAO (2007): not at risk [1] |
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Other names | Valgerola |
Country of origin | Italy |
Distribution | |
Standard | |
Use | milk |
Traits | |
Weight | |
Height | |
Horn status | rams always horned, females occasionally hornless |
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The Orobica or Valgerola is a breed of domestic goat from the Val Gerola in the province of Sondrio, in the Bergamo Alps of northern Italy. It is raised in the Val Gerola and the Valchiavenna in the province of Sondrio, in the Alto Lario Occidentale, the Valsassina and the Val Varrone in the province of Como, and in the upper Val Brembana in the Province of Bergamo. [3] The origins of the breed are unknown; it is first documented at the beginning of the twentieth century. [2] The Orobica is one of the eight autochthonous Italian goat breeds for which a genealogical herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders. [4] [5]
At the end of 2013 the registered population was 1109. [6]
The Orobica goat is of medium size; males weigh on average 80 kg, females about 65 kg. Both sexes have long horns and erect ears. The coat is lustrous, composed of fine long hair, with a colour varying from uniform ash-grey to violet-beige.
For reasons that are not clear, the Valgerola, while always described as a synonym of the Orobica, is separately reported to DAD-IS , [7] and is included in the list of goat breeds of limited distribution of the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture. [5] Numbers are reported by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, but no data has ever been entered. [8] There are two official breed standards, one for the "Razza Orobica" [9] and the other for the "Orobica o Valgerola". [10]
The Valais Blackneck is a breed of domestic goat from the canton of Valais, in southern Switzerland, and neighbouring areas of northern Italy. The largest concentration is in the area of Visp (Viège). It is present in modest numbers in Austria and Germany. It is known by many names, including German: Walliser Schwarzhalsziege or Gletschergeiss; French: Col Noir du Valais, Chèvre des Glaciers or Race de Viège; and Italian: Vallesana or Vallese.
The Sarda is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, off the west coast of central Italy. It is raised throughout the island, particularly in the provinces of Cagliari and Nuoro. It is an ancient breed that has been influenced by the Maltese goat.
The Brigasca, French: Brigasque, is a breed of sheep from Liguria in north-west Italy and the département of Alpes-Maritimes in south-eastern France. It takes its name from the town of La Brigue, which was until 1947 in the Italian province of Cuneo. The Brigasca is raised in the provinces of Imperia and Savona in Italy, and neighbouring areas in France. It appears to have origins in common with the Frabosana and Delle Langhe breeds. It is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.
The Ciavenasca is a breed of small domestic sheep from the province of Sondrio, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It is raised in the mountainous terrain of the Val San Giacomo, the Val Bregaglia and the Valchiavenna, from which the name of the breed derives. It is raised only for meat; the wool is of very poor quality, and the milk is sufficient only for the lambs. It is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.
The Cornigliese or Corniglio is a breed of domestic sheep from the Apennines of the province of Parma, in Emilia–Romagna in central Italy. It takes its name from the mountain town of Corniglio in that province; it may also be called Borgotarese after the town of Borgo Val di Taro which is about 40 km to the west. It is raised in the provinces of Bologna, Ferrara, Modena, Parma, Ravenna and Reggio Emilia.
The Valdostana is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the autonomous region of Aosta Valley in north-western Italy, from which it takes its name.
The Rossa Mediterranea is a breed of domestic goat from the Mediterranean island of Sicily, in southern Italy. It derives from the Damascus goat of Syria and the eastern Mediterranean, and is thus also known as the Derivata di Siria. It is raised mainly in Sicily, but also in Basilicata and Calabria in southern mainland Italy.
The Sempione is a rare breed of domestic goat from the mountains of Piemonte in north-western Italy and the neighbouring area of Simplon in the canton of Valais in Switzerland; Sempione is the Italian name for Simplon. The Sempione goat is well documented in photographs from the early twentieth century, but is now thought to be close to extinction, and has more than once been considered extinct. Examples were recorded at Saliceto di Cravagliana in the province of Vercelli in 1983, and others have since been identified in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, particularly in the Val Divedro and the upper Ossola.
The Passeirer Gebirgsziege or Capra Passiria is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the Passeier valley or Val Passiria, in the Autonomous Province of Bolzano in north-eastern Italy. It is raised in that valley and in the neighbouring Sarntal, Schnalstal and upper Wipptal valleys; it is also present in neighbouring areas of southern Austria. While of Alpine type, it is morphologically quite distinct from the Alpina Comune goat breed. Management is extensive: the animals are kept on alpine pasture from early spring to late autumn.
The Napoletana is a breed of domestic goat from the area south of Naples, in Campania in southern Italy. It is raised on the slopes of Vesuvius, on the slopes of the Monti Lattari, and in the Agro Nocerino Sarnese which lies between them. The origin of the breed is unknown. It may derive from goats of African origin imported to the area in the early years of the twentieth century; the alternative name Torca Nera, "black Turkish goat", suggests an origin in the Mediterranean basin.
The Lariana or Capra di Livo is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the province of Como, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It is raised in the Livo valley and throughout the western Lario; the two names of the breed derive from these places. It is of Alpine type and has highly variable characteristics. Management is extensive: the animals are kept on alpine pasture from May to December, and brought under cover for the winter months.
The Di Teramo is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the province of Teramo, in Abruzzo in southern Italy, and is raised only in that area. Numbers are very low; the breed was listed as endangered by the FAO in 2007. It is further threatened by cross-breeding with the Garganica breed.
The Rustica di Calabria or Sciara is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from Calabria in southern Italy. It is raised mostly in the provinces of Catanzaro and Cosenza. Although present in substantial numbers it has been little studied; its conservation status and origins remain unclear. It may have been influenced by the various goat breeds, including the Abyssinian goat, the Maltese and a type known as "Tibetan", whose introduction to Calabria in the early twentieth century is documented.
The Cilentana Fulva is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the province of Salerno, in Campania in southern Italy. It takes its name from the geographical region of the Cilento, much of which is today within the Parco Nazionale del Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni, and is raised in that area, in the Monti Picentini, and throughout the province of Salerno. It is one of three indigenous goat breeds in the Cilento, the others being the Cilentana Grigia and the Cilentana Nera. The Cilentana Fulva is found on lower ground and richer pasture than the Cilentana Nera, and is raised mainly for milk. It appears to derive from inter-breeding of local goats with the Maltese and particularly the Derivata di Siria, with which it shares many characteristics.
The Cilentana Grigia is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the province of Salerno, in Campania in southern Italy. It takes its name from the geographical region of the Cilento, much of which is today within the Parco Nazionale del Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni, and is raised mainly in that area, but also in the Monti Alburni and the Monti Picentini. It is one of three indigenous goat breeds in the Cilento, the others being the Cilentana Fulva and the Cilentana Nera. The Cilentana Grigia is found on lower ground and richer pasture than the Cilentana Nera, and is raised mainly for milk. The origins of the breed are obscure; it shows the influence of the Maltese and Garganica breeds, and similarities to other Italian grey breeds such as the Ciociara Grigia of Lazio and the Argentata dell'Etna from Sicily.
The Nicastrese is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from Calabria, in southern Italy. It originates in the province of Catanzaro, and takes its name from the former town of Nicastro, which since 1968 has been part of Lamezia Terme. The Nicastrese is raised mainly in the area of origin, but also in the neighbouring provinces of Cosenza and Reggio Calabria. Photographic evidence suggests that it may be closely connected to the old "Araba" breed of the area.
The Valfortorina or Capra di Benevento is a rare breed of domestic goat from the Val Fortore in the province of Benevento, in Campania in southern Italy. It survives in very low numbers, and its conservation status was listed as "critical" by the FAO in 2007. A small number are kept at Benevento by the Consorzio per la Sperimentazione, Divulgazione e Applicazione di Biotecniche Innovative (ConsDABI), the institution responsible for the conservation of genetic resources in Italy.
The Roccaverano is an indigenous breed of large domestic goat from the Langhe, in the provinces of Asti and Cuneo, in Piemonte in north-western Italy. It is raised mainly in the Langa Astigiana, mostly within the Comunità montana Langa Astigiana Val Bormida, and is named for the town and comune of Roccaverano in that area. The origins of the breed are unknown.
The Frisa Valtellinese is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the province of Sondrio, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It is raised throughout the Valtellina, from which its principal name derives, in the Val Malenco and the upper Val Masino in the Rhaetian Alps, and in the Valchiavenna. It may also be called the Frontalasca, for the village of Frontale, a frazione of the comune of Sondalo in the Val di Rezzalo, or the Rezzalasca for that valley. The name Frisa comes from its frisature, or Swiss markings.
The Istriana is an endangered breed of domestic goat indigenous to Istria and the Karst regions of the northern Adriatic, from north-east Italy to Croatia and Slovenia. A population of about 100 head was documented in the Italian province of Gorizia in the 1980s; there is no more recent data. In Croatia, where raising any goat not of the Swiss Saanen breed was illegal in the 1940s and 1950s, it has largely disappeared; a study is under way to establish whether it may be recoverable.