Madura cattle are a stable, inbred hybrid of Zebu and Banteng (Bos javanicus). They originated on the island of Madura near northeastern Java, where the original cattle population was Banteng, very similar to Bali cattle. Sinhala cattle, a Zebu breed from Sri Lanka, were introduced more than 1500 years ago, and the cross was found to be better than either of the original breeds. Some sources say the Zebu component was Ongole Cattle from India. The colouration is reddish brown with non-specific white patterning on the back and rump. They are a small breed, bulls having a mature weight of 250 to 300 kg, used for racing and are sometimes called dancing cattle. In bull racing two bulls are yoked together, pulling a small sled on which the driver attempts to balance over a hundred metre course. In 2002 the population was estimated by the FAO at 900,000. Efforts are being made to conserve the breed on Sapudi-island
Famous quotes containing the word cattle:
“They may bring their fattest cattle and richest fruits to the fair, but they are all eclipsed by the show of men. These are stirring autumn days, when men sweep by in crowds, amid the rustle of leaves like migrating finches; this is the true harvest of the year, when the air is but the breath of men, and the rustling of leaves is as the trampling of the crowd.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)