Ongole cattle
{{Short description|Breed of cattle}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2019}}
File:The Ongole Bull of Moses.jpg, Kerala - 1988.]]
Ongole cattle as called as Ongolu Gitta are an indigenous cattle breed that originates from Prakasam District in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. The breed derives its name from the place the breed originates from, Ongole. The Ongole breed of cattle, Bos indicus, is in great demand as it is said to possess resistance to both foot and mouth disease and mad cow disease.[http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?271375 A Load of Bull] Ongole bulls are prized as they are said to be resistant to mad cow disease - source Outlook India. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110420013750/http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?271375 Archived] at [https://web.archive.org The Wayback Machine] These cattle are commonly used in bull fights in Mexico and some parts of East Africa due to their strength and aggressiveness. They also participate in traditional bull fights in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Cattle breeders use the fighting ability of the bulls to choose the right stock for breeding in terms of purity and strength. The mascot of the 2002 National Games of India was Veera, an Ongole Bull.{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/bull-parade-hits-oblivion-track/articleshow/30995076.cms|title=Bull parade hits oblivion track}}
Origin
File:Bull of Hanumaiah with PM of India.JPG, the then prime minister of India, seen second from right]]
File:Bull of Moses with Balram Jhakad and NT Rama Rao.jpg (green turban) then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and Sri Balaram Jhakar (red turban) then Agricultural Minister, Government of India.]]
Ongole cattle are famous for their bulls. Traditionally, the Ongole breed have been raised by local farmers, fed by both the Gundlakamma, one of the rivers that originates from the Nallamala Hills, and in the plains, the Paleru river, a tributary of the Krishna River. The Ongole occupy an area no larger than about 100 square miles between the Gundlakamma and Musi rivers.[http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/ongole/ Breeds of Livestock - Ongole], at Oklahoma State University. Reference: Joshi, N.R., Phillips, R.W. (1953) Zebu Cattle of India and Pakistan, FAO Agriculture Studies No. 19, Publ. By FAO, Rome, 256 pp.
Ongole bulls have gone as far as America, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay, Indonesia, West Indies, Australia, Fiji, Mauritius, Indo-China and Philippines. The Brahmana bull in America is an off-breed of the Ongole. The population of Ongole off-breed in Brazil is called Nelore and is said to number several million. The famous Santa Gertrudis breed developed in Texas, USA have Ongole blood. This makes Ongle breed the largest cattle breed by numbers, in the world surpassing even Wildebeest of africa.[https://www.scribd.com/doc/37910717/Know-About-Important-Breeds-of-Cattle-and-Buffalos-in-India Important Breeds of Cattle and Buffalos in India].
Characteristics
Ongole cattle are known for their toughness, rapid growth rate, and natural tolerance to tropical heat and disease resistance. It was the first Indian breed of cattle to gain worldwide recognition.[http://arccjournals.com/pdf/Animal/41-1-b/ijar1-41-1-019.pdf A STUDY ON COAT COLOUR IN ONGOLE CALVES*]{{Dead link|date=January 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} R. Vinoo, G. Narasimha Rao1, B. Ramesh Gupta2 and K. Babu Rao, Cattle Project, Lam Farm, Guntur - 522 034, India
=Ongole bull=
=Ongole cow=
The weight of an Ongole female is 432 to 455 kg. Milk yield is 600 kg to 2518 kg. The lactation period is 279 days.[http://dahd.nic.in/cowspages/ongole.htm Characteristics of the Ongole Cattle Breed] - Source Department of Animal Husbandry Dairying & Fisheries (DADF) in India Ongole milk has a butterfat content of over five percent. This results in large, well-nourished calves with considerable growth by the time of weaning. Ongole cows stay close to their calves to protect them from predatory animals.[ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/012/r2868t/r2868t03.pdf PRESERVATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF ONGOLE CATTLE] by Mullapudi Narendra Nath* Tanuku - 534 211 (AP), India
File:ఒంగోలు జాతి గిత్త(Bull).jpg|A young Ongole bull
File:A brown cattle.JPG|A brown Ongole Bull found in the Philippines
File:The-mascot-of-the-2002-Indian-National-Games-was-Veera-an-Ongole-Bull..png|Veera the bull was the mascot of the 2002 National Games
Image:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Volbloed Ongoledekstier Bandjarnegara TMnr 10013331.jpg|Ongole Bull, India
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
- [http://pib.nic.in/feature/feyr2002/fnov2002/f141120021.html The mascot of the 2002 Indian National Games was Veera, an Ongole Bull]. Source - Press Information Bureau, Government of India
- [http://www.tanuvas.tn.nic.in/tnjvas/vol6(1)/24-30.pdf Estimation of Draught ability of Ongole bullocks by different methods*]{{Dead link|date=January 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. R. Vinoo1, G. N. Rao2, B. Ramesh Gupta3 and K. Babu Rao4 Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Veterinary Science, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad.
- [http://epubs.icar.org.in/ejournal/index.php/IJAnS/article/view/4474 Genetic evaluation of Ongole bulls at organized herds] by Umesh Singh, G K Gaur, R C Garg, R Vinod. Source - The Indian Journal of Animal Sciences
- [4] https://www.gofundme.com/save-neloreongole-breed {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708075329/https://www.gofundme.com/save-neloreongole-breed |date=8 July 2018 }}
{{Cattle breeds of India}}