Category:N'dama Cattle

This breed is also known as Boenca or Boyenca (Guinea-Bissau), Fouta Jallon, Fouta Longhorn, Fouta Malinke, Futa, Malinke, Mandingo (Liberia), and N'Dama Petite (Senegal). Incorrect names that are sometimes used: Dama and Ndama.

The N'Dama breed is the most representative "Bos Taurus" breed in West Africa. The origin of this breed is located in the Fouta-Djallon highlands of Guinea (Conakry). From there the N'Dama has spread in the Sudanian and Guinean regions.

Being, it has been used for large scale dissemination for grazing Savannah in Congo, Central Africa, Gabon, Nigeria and Zaire, especially in the regions infested by the tse-tse fly.

Source: Trypanotolemi cattle and livestock development in West and Central Africa (Vol-1) FAO; Rome 1987 The N'Dama is a hardy breed, medium size type (100 cm at shoulder height for cows; 120 cm for bulls) with a large and strong head and with lyre-shaped horns.

Its skin,with short and thin hair, is fawn colored but varies from sand to black color, sometimes spotted.

Cows produce only 2 to 3 liters milk per day during 7 to 8 months. The N'Dama breed is used for meat and the ratio carcass/liveweight is around 50%. The meat has a very good flavor without much fat.

Average liveweight for a mature steer varies between 250 to 300 kg.

In West Africa, to date there are approximately 7 million head of N'Dama.

For the last 65 years, this breed has been developed in Zaire, where large scale herds have been improved by permanent selection practices by a private company named "Compagnie J. VAN LANCKEIC' which owns over 40,000 head of purebred N'Dama.

This company has managed to increase, by selection, the average liveweight by 30 to 50kg without reducing the breed hardiness. This company is collaborating with the I.L.R.I. (International Livestock Research Institute) for an improved genetical analysis and selection of this breed.

The Trypanotolerant Cattle Populations 1983 - 85

Total    N'dama        SWAS      DWAS       Crosses --- 1.Senegal        1,053,000      644,000                           409,000 2.Gambia           299,000      290,000                             9,000 3.Guinea Bissau    300,000      300,000 4.Guinea         2,307,000    2,192,000                           115,000 5.Sierra Leone     333,200      333,200 6.Liberia           12,600        7,100                 5,500 7.Mali           1,092,000      409,000                           683,000 8.Burkina Faso   1,000,000         -        490,000               510,000 9.Cote d'Ivoire    672,000      138,000     350,000     1,000     183,000 10.Ghana           994,000       30,200     839,300       100     124,400 11.Togo            242,000        5,000     158,000     2,500      76,500 12.Benin           760,000          500      58,000    37,500     664,000 13.Nigeria         200,000       26,000      53,000    26,000      95,000 14.Cameroon         11,000        1,700       8,300     1,000 15.Central Africa    7,400          600       6,700                   100 16.Gabon            17,400       16,000         500       500         400 17.Congo            65,000       54,400                10,600 18.Zaire           451,100      415,000                15,000      21,100 19.Equatorial          100                      100 Guinea

1983/85 Totals   9,816,800    4,862,700   1,963,900    99,700   2,890,500 %              100           50          20         1          29 1975/77 Totals    7,634,800    3,422,900   1,673,000    97,900   2,441,000 %                            45          22         1          32 Implied compound growth rate %  3.2          4.5        2.0        0.2         2.1