Beefalo, also referred to
as cattalo or the American hybrid, are
a fertile hybrid offspring of domestic cattle (Bos
taurus), usually a male in managed breeding programs, and the American
buffalo (Bison bison), usually a female in managed breeding programs. The
breed was created to combine the characteristics of both animals for beef
production.
Beefalo are primarily cattle in
genetics and appearance, with the breed association defining a full Beefalo as
one with three-eighths (37.5%) bison genetics, while animals with higher
percentages of bison genetics are called "bison hybrids".
History
Accidental crosses were noticed
as long ago as 1749 in the southern English colonies of North America. Beef and
bison were first intentionally crossbred during the mid-19th century.
The hybrid animal is [claimed] to
be a great improvement on both of its progenitors, as it is more docile and a
better milker than the Buffalo, but retains its hardihood, while the robe is
finer, darker and more even, and the general shape of the animal is improved by
the reduction of the hump and increased proportion of the hind-quarters.
After seeing thousands of cattle
die in a Kansas blizzard in 1886, Charles "Buffalo" Jones, a
co-founder of Garden City, Kansas, also worked to cross bison and
cattle at a ranch near the future Grand Canyon National Park, with the
hope the animals could survive the harsh winters. He called the result
"cattalo" in 1888.
Mossom
Boyd of Bobcaygeon, Ontario first started the practice in
Canada, publishing about some of his outcomes in the Journal of
Heredity. After his death in 1914, the Canadian government continued
experiments in crossbreeding up to 1964, with little success. For example, in
1936 the Canadian government had successfully cross-bred only 30 cattalos.
Lawrence Boyd continues the crossbreeding work of his grandfather on a farm
in Alberta.
It was found early on that
crossing a male bison with a domestic cow would produce few offspring, but that
crossing a domestic bull with a bison cow apparently solved the problem. The
female offspring proved fertile, but rarely so for the males. Although the
cattalo performed well, the mating problems meant the breeder had to maintain a
herd of wild and difficult-to-handle bison cows.
In 1965, Jim Burnett of Montana
produced a hybrid bull that was fertile. Soon after, Cory Skowronek of
California formed the World Beefalo Association and began marketing the hybrids
as a new breed. The new name, Beefalo, was meant to separate this hybrid from
the problems associated with the old cattalo hybrids. The breed was eventually
set at being genetically at least five-eighths Bos taurus and at most
three-eighths Bison bison.
Nutrition characteristics
A United States Department
of Agriculture study found Beefalo meat, like bison meat, to be lower
in fat and cholesterol than
standard beef cattle. The American Beefalo Association states that Beefalo are
better able to tolerate cold and need less assistance calving than cattle,
while retaining domestic cattle's docile nature and fast growth rate. They
damage rangeland less than cattle. They also state that Beefalo meat
contains 4 to 6% more protein and is more tender, flavorful, and nutritious
than a standard steer. Beefalo has significantly less calories, fat, and
cholesterol, than beef cattle, chicken, and cod.
Registration
In 1983, the three main Beefalo registration groups reorganized under the American Beefalo World Registry. Until November 2008, there were two Beefalo associations, the American Beefalo World Registry and American Beefalo International. These organizations jointly formed the American Beefalo Association, Inc., which currently operates as the registering body for Beefalo in the United States.
Effect on bison conservation
Creating the beefalo has proven to be a serious setback to wild American bison conservation. Most current bison herds are genetically polluted or partly crossbred with cattle. There are only four genetically unmixed American bison herds left, and only two that are also free of brucellosis, the Wind Cave bison herd that roams Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota; and the Henry Mountains herd in the Henry Mountains of Utah. A herd on Catalina island, California is not genetically pure or self-sustaining.
Dr. Dirk Van Vuren, formerly of
the University of Kansas, however, points out that "The bison today that
carry cattle DNA look exactly like bison, function exactly like bison and in
fact are bison. For conservation groups, the interest is that they are not
totally pure."
Cattalo
The term "cattalo" is
defined by United States law as a cross of bison and cattle which have a bison
appearance; in Canada, however, the term is used for hybrids of all
degrees and appearance. In the U.S., cattalo are regulated as "exotic
animals", along with pure bison and deer.
