Beefalo
| Beefalo | |
|---|---|
| |
| Beefalo bull | |
Domesticated
| |
Scientific classification
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Bovinae |
| Tribe: | Bovini |
| Subtribe: | Bovina |
| Hybrid: | Bos taurus×Bison bison |
Beefaloconstitute ahybridoffspring of domestic cattle (Bos taurus), usually a male in managed breeding programs, and theAmerican bison(Bison bison), usually a female in managed breeding programs.[1][2]The breed was created to combine the characteristics of both animals for beef production.
Beefalo are primarily cattle in genetics and appearance, with the breed association defining a full Beefalo as one with three-eighths (37.5%) bison genetics, while animals with higher percentages of bison genetics are called "bison hybrids".[3]
History[edit]
Accidental crosses were noticed as long ago as 1749 in theSouthern statesof North America, duringBritish colonization.Cattle and bison were first intentionallycrossbredduring the mid-19th century.[4]
One of the first efforts to cross-breed bison and domestic cattle was in 1815 by Robert Wickliffe of Le xing ton, Kentucky. Mr. Wickliffe's experiments continued for up to 30 years.[5]
Another early deliberate attempt to cross-breed bison with cattle was made by Colonel Samuel Bedson, warden ofStoney Mountain Penitentiary,Winnipeg, in 1880. Bedson bought eight bison from a captive herd of James McKay and inter-bred them withDurham cattle.The hybrids raised by Bedson were described by naturalistErnest Thompson Seton:[6]
The hybrid animal is [claimed] to be a great improvement on both of its progenitors, as it is more docile and a better milker than the Buffalo, but retains its hardihood, while the robe is finer, darker and more even, and the general shape of the animal is improved by the reduction of the hump and increased proportion of the hind-quarters.
After seeing thousands of cattle die in ablizzardin 1886,Charles "Buffalo" Jones,a co-founder ofGarden City,Kansas, also worked to cross bison and cattle at a ranch near the futureGrand Canyon National Park,with the hope the animals could survive the harsh winters.[7]He called the result "cattalo" in 1888.[8]Mossom Martin BoydofBobcaygeon,Ontario first started the practice in Canada, publishing about some of his outcomes in the Journal of Heredity.[9]After his death in 1914, the Canadian government continued experiments in crossbreeding up to 1964, with little success. For example, in 1936 the Canadian government had successfully cross-bred only 30 cattalos.[10]
It was found early on that crossing a male bison with a domestic cow would produce few offspring, but that crossing a domestic bull with a bison cow apparently solved the problem. The female offspring proved fertile, but rarely so for the males. Although the cattalo performed well, the mating problems meant the breeder had to maintain a herd of wild and difficult-to-handle bison cows.[citation needed]
In 1965, Jim Burnett of Montana produced a hybrid bull that was fertile.[11]Soon after, Cory Skowronek of California formed the World Beefalo Association and began marketing the hybrids as a new breed. The new name, Beefalo, was meant to separate this hybrid from the problems associated with the old cattalo hybrids. The breed was eventually set at being genetically at least five-eighthsBos taurusand at most three-eighthsBison bison.
Nutrition characteristics[edit]
AUnited States Department of Agriculturestudy found Beefalo meat, like bison meat, to be lower in fat andcholesterolthan standard beef cattle.[12]
Registration[edit]
In 1983, the three main Beefalo registration groups reorganized under the American Beefalo World Registry. Until November 2008, there were two Beefalo associations, the American Beefalo World Registry[13]and American Beefalo International. These organizations jointly formed the American Beefalo Association, Inc., which currently operates as the registering body for Beefalo in the United States.[14]
Effect on bison conservation[edit]
Most current bison herds are"genetically polluted",meaning that they are partly crossbred with cattle.[15][16][17][18]There are only four genetically unmixed American bison herds left, and only two that are also free ofbrucellosis:theWind Cave bison herdthat roamsWind Cave National Park,South Dakota;and theHenry Mountains herdin the Henry Mountains of Utah.[19]
Dr. Dirk Van Vuren, formerly of the University of Kansas, however, points out that "The bison today that carry cattle DNA look exactly like bison, function exactly like bison and in fact are bison. For conservation groups, the interest is that they are not totally pure."[20]
Environmental impacts[edit]
Although popular with tourists and hunters, escaped beefalo have been destroying parts of the ecosystem, as well as ancient stone ruins, in theGrand Canyonand threatening native species. By 2015, numbers were growing by 50% per year and the there were at least 600 animals roaming the park.[21]Grand Canyon National Parkwas reporting an accident a day due to tourist interactions with beefalo.[22]In 2018, the park began trapping the animals and giving them to Native American tribes outside the state. In addition, volunteer hunters were enlisted to cull the herds, with a goal of reducing the population to 200 animals.[23]As of 2022, the herd was down to 216 individuals, with only 4 having been taken by hunters.[24]
Cattalo[edit]
The term "cattalo", aportmanteauofcattleandbuffalo,is defined by United States law as a cross of bison and cattle which have a bison appearance.[25]
In some American states, cattalo are regulated as "exotic animals", along with pure bison anddeer.However, in most states, bison and hybrids which are raised solely for livestock purposes similar to cattle, are considered domestic animals like cattle, and do not require special permits.[citation needed]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Porter, Valerie (2008).The Field Guide to Cattle.Voyageur Press. p. 70.ISBN978-0-7603-3192-7.Retrieved14 May2015.
- ^Drew, K. R.; Baskin, L. M. (1989).Wildlife Production Systems: Economic Utilisation of Wild Ungulates.CUP Archive. p. 354.ISBN978-0-521-34099-1.Retrieved14 May2015.
- ^"Breeds – Beefalo".The Cattle Site.Retrieved29 October2020.
- ^Dafoe, John W. (April 1889)."Domestication of the Buffalo".Popular Science Monthly.34.Retrieved21 March2018.
- ^Hornaday, William (2002).The Extermination of the American Bison.Outlook Verlag Press. p. 98.ISBN9783752310689.
- ^Brower, Jennifer (2008).Lost Tracks: National Buffalo Park, 1909–1939.Athabasca University Press. pp. 132–133.ISBN978-1-897425-10-7.Retrieved14 May2015.
- ^"Charles Jesse" Buffalo "Jones".Kshs.org.Retrieved2 October2009.
- ^"The Story of Cattalo".canadiangeographic.ca. May 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 1 September 2005.
- ^Boyd, M. M. (1914). "Crossing bison and cattle".J Hered.5(5: 189–197): 189–197.doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a107838.
- ^Magazines, Hearst (December 1934)."Cattle Developed for North are Part Buffalo".Popular Mechanics.Hearst Magazines. p. 863.ISSN0032-4558.Retrieved14 May2015.
- ^"A Missouri family raises beefalo as a low-fat alternative to beef cattle".Columbia Missourian.21 July 2008.Retrieved23 May2022.
- ^Beefalo Facts
- ^"ABWR".ABWR.Archivedfrom the original on 12 October 2009.Retrieved2 October2009.
- ^"American Beefalo Association".Retrieved14 May2015.
- ^"Strands of undesirable DNA roam with Buffalo, By Jim Robbins, 9th January 2007, The New York Times".Wildcattleconservation.org.Retrieved2 October2009.
- ^Polzhiehn, R.O.; C. Strobeck; J. Sheraton & R. Beech (1995). "Bovine mtDNA Discovered in North American Bison Populations".Conservation Biology.9(6): 1638–43.doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.1995.09061638.x.JSTOR2387208.S2CID85575841.
- ^"Halbert, N.D., Ward, T.J., Schnabel, R.D., Taylor, J.F and Derr, J.N. (2005) Conservation genomics: disequilibrium mapping of domestic cattle chromosomal segments in North American bison populations. Molecular Ecology (2005) 14, 2343–2362"(PDF).Animalgenomics.missouri.edu. 12 February 2009. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 22 April 2006.Retrieved2 October2009.
- ^"Halbert, Natalie Dierschke (2003) The utilization of genetic markers to resolve modern management issues in historic bison populations: implications for species conservation Ph. D. Dissertation, Texas A&M University, December 2003"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 23 July 2015.Retrieved2 October2009.
- ^"Genetically Pure Bison Found in Utah".UPR Utah Public Ratio. 16 December 2015.Retrieved24 December2015.
- ^Catherine Brahic (15 October 2008)."American icons aren't the animals they used to be".New Scientist.Retrieved7 January2015.
- ^Clark, Laura (4 March 2015)."A Beefalo Invasion Is Causing Trouble in the Grand Canyon".Smithsonian Magazine.Retrieved7 March2024.
- ^Bullock, Anne-Marie (2 March 2015)."How do you solve a problem like the 'Beefalo'?".BBC News.Retrieved7 March2024.
- ^Dungan, Ron (20 June 2018)."How Many Beefalo Is Too Many Beefalo?".Sierra Club.Retrieved7 March2024.
- ^Gulliford, Andrew (7 January 2023)."Buffalo Jones and bison that don't belong at the Grand Canyon".Durango Herald.Retrieved7 March2024.
- ^"Code of Federal Regulations (9CFR352.1) rev 2004. —" Catalo or Cattalo means any hybrid animal with American bison appearance resulting from direct crossbreeding of American bison and cattle. "".Access.gpo.gov. Archived fromthe originalon 26 August 2009.Retrieved2 October2009.