Betizu
{{Short description|Basque breed of cattle}}
{{for|the Basque-language television program|Betizu (TV program)}}
{{Infobox cattle breed
| name = Betizu
| image = Betizu sur le massif du Xoldokogaina.jpg
| image_size =
| image_alt =
| image_caption = Bull on the slopes of {{ill|Xoldokogaina|eu}}
| status = {{ubl|France: {{ubl|FAO (2007): critical{{r|barb|page=41}}|DAD-IS (2024): at risk/critical{{r|dad2}}}}|Spain: {{ubl|FAO (2007): endangered{{r|barb|page=106}}|DAD-IS (2024): at risk/endangered{{r|dad}}}}}}
| altname = Betizuak{{r|cabi|page=130}}
| country = {{ubl|Spain|France}}
| distribution = {{ubl|Bizkaia|Gipuzkoa|Nafarroa|Labourd, Pyrénées-Atlantiques}}
| standard = [https://www.mapa.gob.es/es/ganaderia/temas/zootecnia/of344-2014librogenealogicobetizu_tcm30-117417.pdf Gobierno de Navarra] (in Spanish)
| use = {{ubl|meat|vegetation management}}
| weight =
| maleweight = {{convert|400-500|kg|abbr=on|-2|comma=off}}
| femaleweight = {{convert|300-350|kg|abbr=on|-2|comma=off}}
| height =
| maleheight = {{convert|130|cm|abbr=on}}{{r|cabi|page=130}}
| femaleheight = {{convert|120|cm|abbr=on}}{{r|cabi|page=130}}
| skincolour = creamy white{{r|guia|page=61}}
| coat = russet brown
| horn = horned
| subspecies = taurus
| note =
}}
The Betizu is a breed of small mountain cattle which live in a semi-feral state in some mountainous parts of the Basque Country in both Spain and France. It is classified as an endangered breed by both the Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, the agriculture ministry of Spain,{{r|mapa|boe}} and by the Conservatoire des Races d'Aquitaine in France.{{r|cra}}
It is one of a small number of semi-feral cattle populations in Europe, with the Albera of the Pyrenees, the Monchina of Cantabria, and the Raço di Biòu of the Camargue.{{r|marl}}
History
The origins of the Betizu are unknown. The name {{lang|eu|betizu}} derives from the {{langx|eu|behi izua}}, 'elusive cow', and distinguishes it from the {{lang|eu|etxebehi}} or 'house cow'.{{r|guia|page=59|euskal}} It appears in Basque mythology as Zezengorri ('red bull'), guardian of the treasure of the goddess Mari.{{r|pais}}
The Betizu is sometimes believed to be the remnant of an ancient Pyrenean cattle population adapted to survive in marginal mountain terrain;{{r|guia|page=60}} or it may derive from animals lost or escaped during the annual transhumance.{{r|cabi|page=130}}
In the twenty-first century it is an endangered breed, and in Navarre was listed as such in 2003. At about the same time the Government of Navarre established a conservation herd at the finca of Sastoia in Urraúl Alto, in the comarca of Lumbier; management of the herd was later handed over to the {{ill|Instituto Navarro de Tecnologías e Infraestructuras Agroalimentarias|es}}.{{r|gob}}
In 2013, the breed population in Navarre was estimated at 254,{{r|intia}} while the number in Aquitaine was put at less than 150.{{r|cra}} In 2023 a total of {{val|1267}} head was reported from Spain, including 688 cows and 50 bulls registered in the herd-book, distributed over 41 herds;{{r|dad}} for France a population of {{val|80|–|100}} head was reported.{{r|dad2}} The conservation status for Spain was listed as "at risk/endangered", while for France it was "at risk/critical".{{r|dad|dad2}}
References
{{commonscat}}
{{reflist|45em|refs=
Loyola de Palacio del Valle-Lersundi (7 November 1997). [https://www.boe.es/eli/es/rd/1997/11/07/1682/dof/spa/pdf Real Decreto 1682/1997, de 7 de noviembre, por el que se actualiza el Catálogo Oficial de Razas de Ganado de España] (in Spanish). Boletín Oficial del Estado 279 (21 November 1997): 34205–34207. Reference: BOE-A-1997-24860. European Legislation Identifier: [https://www.boe.es/eli/es/rd/1997/11/07/1682 permalink].
}}
{{Cattle breeds of France}}
{{Cattle breeds of Spain}}
{{Basque animal breeds}}
Category:Cattle breeds originating in Spain