The History of Registered Ankole in South Africa
The History of Registered Ankole in South Africa
By Dr Morné de la Rey, Jacques Malan and Sally Blaine
There is much discussion in the market around what constitutes an Ankole, what is a Watusi and what the difference is. To understand these differences, it is important to trace back and understand how Ankole became a registered breed in South Africa. Traditionally Watusi cattle come from Rwanda and are the cattle farmed by the Tutsi tribe. The Ankole come from Uganda and are farmed by the Nkole tribe.
Watusis in South Africa
In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s there were long-horned cattle from central Africa, (Watusi/Ankole cattle) in zoos in Bloemfontein and the then Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha). They were generally referred to as Watusi cattle at the time. When these zoos were closed, the cattle were sold to famers in the surrounding areas. Many, although not all, of these cattle were then successfully crossed with breeds like the Nguni cattle. The animals from these two zoos, together with Watusis that were imported by Mike Bester, formed the base of the “Watusi” cattle we now have in the country.
In the early 2000’s the farmers who had Watusi cattle registered their animals on SA Studbook. Part of the offering provided by SA Studbook was certificates to confirm registration of animals on its database. This registration was often incorrectly understood as constituting registration of the animals with Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD). This has created a significant amount of confusion in the market. According to mr Joel Mamabolo, the Registrar of Animal Improvement, Watusi is not a registered breed in South Africa in terms of the Animal improvement Act (No 62 of 1998).
How Did Ankole Come into South Africa?
Most people know that Ankole were brought into South Africa by President Ramaphosa and Dr Morné de la Rey after President Ramaphosa fell in love with them after seeing them during a visit to President Museveni in Uganda. A nucleus herd of Ankole were bought from President Museveni and moved to the approved facility at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. These animals were flushed, and the first embryos were brought into the country and transferred in 2003.
How Did Ankole Become a Recognised Breed in South Africa?
The process for a breed to be recognised in South Africa is defined in the Animal Improvement Act. After an application has been lodged at the Registrar of Animal improvement and it is accepted, he registers the breed as: "a breed under evaluation” Limited genetics in the form of live animals, embryos and semen can be imported and thereafter evaluated to a set of regulations. Since the Directorate of Animal Health only allows embryos from Kenya to be imported to SA, the Ankole genetics were imported in the form of embryos. Animals are required to go through extensive testing during the full lifecycle (Phases A to D which includes assessment of reproduction, growth rates, weaning weights, ease of calving, on farm performance and central performance testing fertility and breeding soundness evaluation on the bulls) and must achieve specific performance standards to be considered for registration. Once this has been completed and the animals (hence the breed) performs satisfactorily according to the standards accepted by Animal Improvement and the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), registration must be approved by the Registrar of Animal Improvement and confirmed through an amendment to the Tables to the Animal Improvement Act. The first Ankole offspring from the embryos brought into South Africa in 2003 were put through all the testing required by Animal Improvement, a sub-directorate of DALRRD for a breed under evaluation. Ankole were listed as a breed being evaluated in terms of the Animal Improvement Act Regulations Amendment dated 10 June 2016 and were finally approved as a recognised breed in the amendment published in the Government Gazette in May 2019.
The Role of the Ankole Society of South Africa
Approval of the breed then required that a society be established to manage the improvement of the breed in the country. This led to the establishment of the Ankole Society of South Africa in 2018. A breed society can be formed and registered with Animal Improvement when it is a society of a registered breed and has a minimum of seven (7) members.
The first responsibility of the Society was to develop a Constitution, By-Laws and a set of Breed Standards and thereafter registered as the official Ankole Breed Society Animal Improvement within DALRRD. This included detailing how the pedigrees and animal data would be recorded. The Ankole Society partnered with the Afrikaner Society, who was a registered service provider to Animal Improvement, and utilised the systems and platforms developed by the Agricultural Research Council as its studbook (Intergis). All registered Ankole, as defined in the Society’s Constitution and By-Laws, are recorded on Intergis.
Why are Watusi Not Recognised as Ankole?
During the development of the Ankole Society Constitution, By-Laws and Breed Standards, the question of the Watusis in South Africa was raised by the Ankole Council. A key consideration was how to recognize these animals in relation to the Ankole that had been tested and approved in line with the Animal Improvement Act. The Ankole Council requested the Watusi to be included in the upgrading programme, but the decision around the recognition and classification of the Watusi rested with the Registrar. After consideration, the Registrar decided that the Watusi was not a recognised breed in the country. It had not undergone the performance testing for a breed under evaluation and therefore did not meet the requirements as a recognized breed. It was decided that only Ankole that were brought into South Africa by President Ramaphosa from Uganda could be registered as full blood Ankole. Therefore, today we can register Ankole whose parentage can be traced back to the original Ankole genetics.
How Does This Impact on the New Genetics?
The Constitution and By-Laws of the Ankole Society make provision for importation of Ankole embryos from recognised Ankole cattle from Uganda or animals that can be traced back to Ugandan Ankole origin. The importation must be approved by the Ankole Society of South Africa in advance. The animals from which the embryos are being imported must meet all the requirements defined in the Breed Standards and an independent Ankole inspector must confirm that the donor animals (both cows and bulls) phenotypically meet the breed standards. Genetics of any breed that are imported must be approved by 2 entities of DALRRD namely Animal Improvement and Animal Health. The role the Society plays is to facilitate the regulation of Animal Improvement in line with its registration.
All legal requirements for importation as set out by DALRRD in the importation protocol regarding animal health and animal improvement, must be met before these embryos can be released into the market. These provisions have been complied with for the new genetics. These genetics are available from 2024 in South Africa.
What Does This Mean for Watusi and their Offspring?
While there is a significant visual similarity between Watusi and Ankole, the Constitution and By-Laws of the Society require that Ankole must either be traceable to the original animals that were imported by President Ramaphosa or must have been imported in compliance with the relevant legislation and with the approval of the Society and Animal Improvement. This means that Watusi cattle do not qualify as full blood Ankole. They can however be bred with fullblood Ankole bulls through the upgrading system and achieve pure bred status in line with the defined By-Laws of the Society. It is therefore illegal and misleading to sell any animal like Watusi as an Ankole. A person can be sued for misleading information in the civil courts. The Society is not a regulatory entity and does not have the authority to monitor and regulate this process. It does have comprehensive records of all registered Ankole, whether fullblood, purebred or an animal registered under the upgrading programme. The registration status of any animal purchased as an Ankole can be confirmed with the Breed Director, Lauren James.
