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When is a “breed” not a breed: the myth of the Mpwapwa cattle of Tanzania

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Abstract

Almost all of Tanzania’s huge cattle population is native Tanganyika Shorthorn Zebu (TSZ) (Bos indicus), an animal of small stature and reputably low productivity. Attempts to improve productivity started in 1925 by crossing local cattle with European (B. indicus) bulls and by disease control using TSZ cattle to produce antirinderpest serum. Efforts to create a beast adapted to central Tanzania’s hot semiarid environment were initiated in the 1930s using B. indicus breed such as Red Sindhi and Sahiwal bulls from India and Bos taurus such as Ayrshires from the UK. These attempts were halted in 1940. A new programme, started in 1944, aimed to create a composite animal capable of producing 2300 kg of milk in a 305-day lactation with a calving interval of 380 days and a 250-kg carcass from a 4-year old steer. Additional genetics were introduced including Kenya Boran (B. indicus) and UK Jersey and Guernsey (B. taurus) in addition to the Ayrshire. The composite was declared a breed in 1958 but the animal was nowhere near a fixed type and genetic modification continued for many years. Development was complicated by factors including disease, drought, inadequate nutrition, the political and economic climates and lack of professional staff. Production targets were never achieved and new genetics, especially Sahiwal (B. indicus) from Kenya, continued to be introduced. By the early 21st century, the Mpwapwa animal was almost 80% Sahiwal. There has never been more than 1000 live Mpwapwa-type animals at one time and there has been little dissemination outside the original station. Declared as endangered by international organizations and within Tanzania, it could be considered that the Mpwapwa has never been a breed in the conventional sense of an animal breeding true to type with consistent production outputs.

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Acknowledgements

I thank Stephen Hall, Emeritus Professor at the University of Lincoln for the exchanges of opinion on what constitutes a breed. Barbara Maund, who was a Research Officer at Mpwapwa in the 1960s, kindly read and made constructive comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. The constructive criticism of an anonymous referee is appreciated and gratefully acknowledged.

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    R. Trevor Wilson

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Appendix

Appendix

Research projects on Mpwapwa cattle undertaken by the

Tanzania Livestock Research Institute

Previous projects (56)

1.Influence of pre-weaning management system and dry season nutritional supplementation on the performance of Mpwapwa heifers.

2.Effects of restricted suckling vs artificial rearing on milk production, calf performance and reproductive efficiency of dual purpose Mpwapwa Cattle in semi-arid climate.

3.Breeding and Selection of Mpwapwa Cattle by Using open Nucleus Breeding System.

4.Mpwapwa Breed Multiplication.

5.Follow up studies of Mpwapwa Cattle and blended goats introduced at Berege, Chalinze and Kondoa

6.On-station breeding and selection of Mpwapwa.

7.Multiplication of Mpwapwa breed cattle: Enhancing private sector to multiply Mpwapwa breed cattle using open nucleus breeding system (ONBS).

On going projects (28)

1.Mpwapwa Breed Cattle Multiplication (principal investigator; DF Masao)

2.Breeding and Selection of Mpwapwa Cattle On-station (principal investigator; G Msuta)G

3.Multiplication of Mpwapwa breed cattle: Enhancing private sector to multiply Mpwapwa breed cattle using open nucleus breeding system (ONBS) (principal investigator; JMN Bwire).

4.Performance evaluation, multiplication and conservation of Mpwapwa cattle herd under Southern Highlands pasture-based management systems.

New projects (11)

none

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Wilson, R.T. When is a “breed” not a breed: the myth of the Mpwapwa cattle of Tanzania. Trop Anim Health Prod 53, 233 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-021-02669-4

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