Boškarin

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Boškarin: Two cows and a bull

Boškarin or Istrian cattle is an Istrian land cattle breed of Italian origin.

origin

The Boškarin are an old landrace , which is still pretty close to their original race, the gray cattle of the eastern steppes (see also Podolisches beef ), which at the time of migration of peoples came to the west. Boškarin are closely related to the gray cattle breeds of Italy. The breed was widespread on the Istrian peninsula and partly on the island of Krk. However, their number experienced a dramatic collapse in the 60s and 70s. While there were 60,000 Boškarin in the 1960s, there were only 10,000 in 1972. The breed was almost extinct by the late 1980s. To preserve it was founded in 1989 in CroatianPart of Istria the Association of Breeders of Istrian Cattle. In a search lasting several years, 112 pure-bred animals were found, 104 cows and eight bulls.

description

Boškarin: island of Krk

Boškarin are light gray, with darker pigmentation on the head, neck, shoulders and abdomen; the bulls are somewhat darker than the cows, some bulls also turn black with a white eel line . Calves around three to four months old are light reddish brown. The skin of the animals is dark. The horns are lyre-shaped. They are yellowish-white with dark tips. The horns of the cows are up to 1.5 m long. The bulls' horns are somewhat shorter, but stronger; they reach a circumference of up to 30 cm at the base. The average height at the withers is 138 cm for cows and 148 cm for bulls and in exceptional cases can reach 177 cm. The length of the body is approximately 110 to 115% of the height at the withers. The weight of the cows is 500–600 kg, while the bulls reach 650–900 kg. Oxen are said to weigh between 1,100 and 1,300 kg.

properties

The Boškarin were a classic three-purpose breed that was mainly used as a draft animal and also served as a milk and meat supplier. The current breeding goal is that of extensive beef cattle. The animals are robust and long-lived.

Web links

Commons : Boškarin  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Mariasilvia D'Andrea, Lorraine Pariset, Donato Matassino, Alessio Valentini, Johannes A. Lenstra, Giuseppe Maiorano, Fabio Pilla: "Genetic characterization and structure of the Italian Podolian cattle breed and its relationship with some major European breeds." In: Italian Journal of Animal Science, Volume 10: e54, 2011. (Accessed March 15, 2013; English ) ( Memento from September 23, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  2. a b Istria on the Internet: The Boskarin is Saved! (Accessed on March 15, 2013; English ) ( Memento from April 15, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
  3. a b c d Turistička Zajednica Općine Višnjan: Boškarin - Istarsko Govedo. (Retrieved March 15, 2013; Croatian ) ( Memento from April 12, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
  4. "black with white eel line": see cover photo in Agencija za ruralni razvoj Istre (AZRRI): Istarsko govedo. (Accessed March 15, 2013; Croatian )
  5. Hrvatska poljoprivredna agencija: Istarsko govedo. (Accessed on March 18, 2013; Croatian ) ( Memento from January 16, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  6. a b Agencija za ruralni razvoj Istre (AZRRI): Istarsko govedo (accessed on March 15, 2013; Croatian )