Status of Borana Cattle Breed in Borana Zone of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Background and Objective: One of the native cattle breeds from the Southern Ethiopian Borana rangelands is the Borana cattle breed, known as Bos indicus (humped Large East African Shorthorn Zebu type). The study’s objective was to assess the current status of the Borana cattle breed and identify the main factors contributing to genetic erosion in the study areas. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in five grazing land escapes (Dire, Golbo, Gomole, and Woyama) in the Borana, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia, from September, 2021 to June, 2023. Multistage sampling techniques were employed to gather data. Data were collected through semi-structured questionnaires, focus group discussions, field observations, and census data. About 360 smallholder pastoralists were interviewed. Both SPSS statistical software and indices were used to analyze survey data and ranking data, respectively. Results: Respondents and focus group discussion confirmed the presence of two distinct sub-types of the Ethiopian Boran cattle, Qorti and Ayuna. Qorti is preferred to Ayuna by the community due to their superiority in terms of production and reproduction performance, as well as higher prices at the market when sold. Respondents, focus group discussion, and key informants with secondary data also explained that the population of Borana cattle (Qorti) strains is a decreasing trend, while Ayuna showed a reverse. The main factors for the decreasing trend were drought and shortage of feed during the dry season, followed by high blood mixture with local inferior neighbour cattle, disease, and shortage of grazing land due to Bush and crop farms encroaching on the study areas. Despite these special qualities, the breed is under threat. Conclusion: An integrated community-based participatory in situ conservation program with the open-nucleus breeding strategy of the Boran breed is promised but would require the collaboration of all stakeholders at all levels and a deeper understanding of the potential of this exceptional animal.