_110307_REFON_2.jpg) Bull inAvaré, Brazil | |
.jpg) A cow | |
| Conservation status | FAO (2007): not at risk[1]: 143 |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Distribution |
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| Standard | American Brahman Breeders Association |
| Use | meat |
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TheBrahman orAmerican Brahman is an Americanbreed ofzebuine-taurine hybridbeef cattle. It was bred in the United States from 1885 using cattle originating in India, imported at various times from the United Kingdom, India, and Brazil. These were mainlyGir,Guzerá andNelore stock, with someIndu-Brasil,Krishna Valley andOngole. The Brahman has a high tolerance of heat, sunlight and humidity, and good resistance to parasites. It has been exported to many countries, particularly in thetropics; in Australia it is the most numerous breed of cattle. It has been used in the creation of numerous taurine-indicine hybrids, some of which – such as theBrangus andBrahmousin – are established as separate breeds.[3]: 137 [4][5]
Zebuine (Asian humped) cattle were present in the United States from 1849, when a single bull of Indian origin was imported from the United Kingdom toSouth Carolina. In 1885 a pair of grey bulls was brought directly from India toTexas; one was large, weighing over800 kg, the other weighed little more than half that.Cross-breeding of these with localtaurine cows was the first step in the creation of the Brahman breed.[3]: 137 Other small groups of Indian cattle were imported up to about 1906, mostly to Texas; some of them were imported to be displayed ascircus animals, and were later sold to ranchers.[5]: 193 In 1924 and 1925 a total of 210 bulls and 18 cows of mainly zebuine-taurine hybridGuzerá stock,[3]: 137 but also including someGir andNelore, were brought from Brazil[5]: 193 to the United States through Mexico.
Abreed association, the American Brahman Breeders Association, was formed in 1924, and aherd-book was started.[3]: 137 The name 'Brahman' was chosen by J. W. Sartwelle, secretary of the association.[6] In 1939 the herd-book was closed, thereafter recording only the offspring of registered parents. The registration in 1946 of eighteen imported Brazilian bulls, mainlyIndu-Brasil andGir, was permitted, as were some later additions of imported stock.[3]: 137 The association registered all Americanindicine cattle in the same herd-book until 1991, when herd-books for Gir, Guzerat, Indu-Brasil, Nelore andTabapua were separated from that for the American Red and Grey Brahman.[7]
Exports of cattle of this breed to Australia began in 1933 and continued until 1954, amounting to 49 head in all; by 1973 their offspring numbered more than225000. Some further imports, numbering about 700 head in total, took place after 1981. By 1987 there were over a million inQueensland alone, and by the end of the century there were more of them in Australia than of any other breed, particularly in the tropical north of the country.[3]: 137
The Brahman is reported from fifty-five countries, in all inhabited continents, with an estimated world population of over 1.8 million head. Populations of over100000 are reported by Argentina, Colombia, theDominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Mozambique and South Africa.[8] No population data for the United States has been reported since 2014, when there were just under9500 head.[2]
The Brahman has good tolerance of heat and humidity, good resistance to insects, and good tolerance of poor feeding conditions. It has been found to do well in southern coastal areas of the United States.[5]: 200 These characteristics may be transmitted to cross-breeds of Brahman with cattle of European origin, which can also benefit fromheterosis ('hybrid vigor').[5]: 198
The Brahman is reared for themeat industry, particularly in areas where good resistance to hot or tropical conditions is needed. As with other zebuine cattle, the meat is of lower quality than that of specialised European beef cattle breeds. For this reason it is commonlycross-bred with cattle of those breeds, either by raising hybrid calves born to pure-bred parents, or by creating a composite or hybrid breed, of which there are many. Some of them, such as theBrahmousin (Brahman xLimousin),Brangus (Brahman xAngus) andSimbrah (Brahman xSimmental) have acquired breed status in their own right, but many others have not. These include the Brahorn (Brahman xShorthorn), the Bravon (Brahman xDevon) and South Bravon (Brahman xSouth Devon), the Bra-Swiss (Brahman xBrown Swiss), the Sabre (Brahman xSussex) and the Braford (Brahman xHereford).[3]: 137
InOman andFujairah, Brahman bulls are used in the traditional sport ofbull-butting; they may be fed milk and honey to prepare them for the contest.[9]
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