Dwarf Zebu are descendants of the Zebu – one of the oldest breeds of cattle in India.
The Zebu have horns that point forward and a prominent hump and dewlap (wobbly skin below the neck). Their humps are made of fat and muscle – it is an important feature when trying to attract a mate! They can live off the fat stored in their hump if food is unavailable.
Zebu have been domesticated as draft animals and because of their small size, they don’t eat a lot – making them ideal in hard times! Their agility and manageability makes them very useful for pulling ploughs and carts. It is estimated that there are 2 million+ zebu providing more power in India than all their electric power plants!
Because Zebu are considered sacred in India, they are appreciated when they get old - so when they are too old to work, their owners simply set them free to wander at will until they die.
Our Dwarf Zebu stand around 3 feet in height and were introduced to the park because they are so appealing – even the bull doesn’t grow taller than the fence! They are pretty cute, quite friendly and like being stroked. They all have Hindu names – Asha (meaning Hope) is our white female and our bull is called Abhay (meaning brave). The young females are called Indira (beauty) and Ila (earth).
We are hoping that now we have a pair of breeding Dwarf Zebu, we can look forward to the very tiny patter of feet in the future!
