Vor über 100 Jahren kamen die Vorfahren des Europäischen Dahomey-Zwergrindes in den Zoo von Antwerpen. Zur damaligen Zeit war Zaire, aus dem die einzige Ausfuhr nach Europa bekannt ist, noch belgische Kolonie. Nach der erfolgreichen Vermehrung dieser kleinen Rinderrasse wurden die Nachkommen der ersten Afrikanischen Dahomey-Zwergrinder an europäische Zoos und Tierparks weitergegeben. Später kamen auch diese Nachzuchten in Privathand und heute, nach der Jahrtausendwende gibt es etwa 50 Züchter oder Halter in Deutschland, Frankreich, Österreich, den Niederlanden, der Schweiz und der tschechischen Republik.

Das kleinrahmige Rind hat eine Widerristhöhe von 80 - 90 cm (Kühe) und von 85 - 105 cm (Bullen).

Die Rinder sind schwarz, doch auch graue Individuen sind bekannt; weiße Flecken an der Bauchseite sind erlaubt.

Zur Kruppe hin steigt die gerade Rückenlinie etwas an, sollte aber 7 cm Unterschied zur Widerristhöhe nicht überschreiten.

Das Gewicht variiert entsprechend der Ernährung und liegt etwa bei ca. 200 +/- 30 kg (Kühe) und etwa 300 +/- 50 kg bei Bullen.

Besonderheiten sind die blaue Schleimhaut des Rachenraumes und eine blaue Zunge.

Die mehr ovalen Hörner krümmen sich nach vorn und zeigen im höherem Alter des Tieres bodenwärts (siehe Fotoalbum).

Die Proportionen sind ausgeglichen und die Tiere zeigen eine gute Bemuskelung.

Ein sehr kleines Euter, das lediglich während der Laktation sichtbar ist

Die Tiere sind asaisonal, die Tragzeit beträgt ca. 280 Tage; etwa 6 - 10 Wochen nach der Geburt rindern die Kühe erneut.

Die Kühe sind sehr leichtkalbig und haben sehr gute Muttereigenschaften.

Der Schwanz ist sehr lang (fast bis zum Fesselgelenk) und endet in einer langhaarigen Quaste.

Das Scrotum ist relativ klein und hoch angesetzt im Vergleich zu ihren großen Vettern.

Die Kälber sind bei der Geburt etwa 40 - 45 cm groß, 10 - 15 kg schwer, in der Regel schwarz und hellen auf; nach dem Fellwechsel zeigen sie wieder eine satte, schwarze Farbe. Auch dunkelgraue Kälber werden in der Regel, nach dem ersten Fellwechsel, schwarz. Graue Individuen werden fast weiß geboren und dunkeln nach.

Welche direkten Vorfahren das Europäische Dahomey-Zwergrind hatte - ist nicht geklärt. Die meisten Tiere ähneln dem SOMBA-Typ, während andere wieder dem LAGUNEN-Typ näherstehen.

Die Zeichnungen stammen aus der Feder von Marleen Felius, die ein ganzes Buch illustriert hat (Rinderrassen der Welt);

Nachfolgend die Kurzportraits der beiden lokal begrenzten afrikanischen Rassen:

(Atacora)
in Togo: Mango
in Burkina Faso: Konkomba
origin: authentic breed
status: regional/exported
size: dwarf
purpose: dairy-beef
The Atacora highlands of northwestern Benin are considered to be the cradle of the West African Shorthorn. From here the cattle seem to have spread over the savanna, forest and lagoon areas of West Africa.
In 1912 the Somba still was the only cattle type in the Atacora highlands and the bordering region of Kandi in Togo. With a total of 75,000 animals in 1980, the Savanna Shorthorns are still found in the hands of the Somba tribe of the Atacora highlands. Here they are called Atacora and spread as far south as Aboney, where the type changes into the Dwarf Shorthorn. From northeastern Benin the cattle have expanded to the bordering parts of Togo where about 144,000 of these cattle are found. Named Mango in Togo they make about 56% of the national cattle herd. About the same number of these cattle are located in neighbouring Burkina Faso, where they are raised by the Tamberma people who are believed to have the same ethnic origin as the Somba of Benin. In the Oti Division of Burkina Faso they are called Mango, but in the Central and Kara regions the name Konkomba is used.
In 1995 the number of Somba and Mango cattle in Togo and Benin was estimated at 25,000 head. In 1978 this number was still 216,000. This deminishing in numbers is due to crossbreeding with zebus practiced by Fulani pastoralists, who are more and more taking over the task of herding the village herds. Currently purebred Somba are only to be met with in the Boukombe region in Benin and in the bordering area in Togo. At the Samiondji farm of Benin in 1978 a herd of 150 Somba animals was studied by FAO staff. Recent exports have taken place to Chad and Zaire.
The wither height of Somba animals vary from 95 to 115 cm. Under traditional management cows weigh 145-175 kg, and bulls 200-210 kg. It is a stocky animal with a straight and compact body profile. The head is long and narrow and carried low. The legs are short and the tail is long. Most cattle are black and black-pied, a few are red, dun, or red-pied. In the past the Pabli variety of Kouande represented a red colour variant. Cows yield 1-2 kg milk per day during a lactation of 150-180 days. The dressing of a carcass is 48-52%.
Cattle are usually tended by hired Fulani herders or by children. Herds vary in size from 10 to 100 animals and can even reach 250-300 head.

(Lagunaire, la race des Lagunes)
in Ghana: Lagoon (Muturu)
in Zaire: Mayombe (Mayumbe, Dahomey)
origin: authentic breed
status: regional/exported
size: dwarf
purpose: beef
Presumably descended from the Savanna Shorthorn, the Dwarf Shorthorn must have become smaller due to the unfavourable conditions under which they are kept. In Ivory Coast they are found in the lagoons along the Gulf of Guinea, especially around Jacqueville and Abidjan and on the palm plantations of Sassandra. The numbers of the Lagune are small in Ivorycoast and rapidly declining, due to interbreeding with the Borgou, Sanga and N'Dama. In 1973 their number was estimated to be 7,000 falling to 4,000 in 1985. In Benin this variety is found south of Abomey in the coastal lagoons in the provinces of Atlantique, Mono, Auemi and Zou with the highest concentrations around Ouimi, totalling 20,000 head in 1980. From Benin Lagune cattle spread to bordering Togo, where it is rapidly being absorbed by the Somba and Borgou. A remnant is also found in the southeastern corner of Ghana, near Ada and Keta Lagoon.
Zaire imported some 50 Lagune cattle from Benin in 1904. Shortly afterwards the breed was introduced at the Kangu Mission and at the Government Livestock Station at Zambi. More importations were to follow and the breed spread throughout Mayombo in Bas-Zaire, Kuilu in Bandundu and Lisala and Bumba in the Equateur region of Zaire. The cattle came to known as Mayombe (Mayumbe) or Dahomey. As Zaire was a Belgian colony it were probably these cattle which were introduced into the Antwerp Zoo of Belgium, from which they went to several other Zoos and private hobby breeders in Western Europe. From Zaire the breed went to Gabon during the 1950s-1960s, while some Lagune cattle were directly imported from Benin in 1948. In Gabon few Baoule cattle were imported as well, and today all WAS cattle in Gabon are called Baoule. Here they are mainly located in the north of the country as well as in the Ngounie and Nyanga regions. A small Lagune population also exists in the Congo, tracing about 930 to Lagune cattle imported from Benin in the period 1949-1959.
Lagune cows stand only 80-90 cm at the withers and weigh 130-180 kg. Bulls average 85-95 cm, sometimes they stand up to 105 cm. The head is less heavy as in the Savanna Shorthorn. The horns are 14-24 cm in length, badly shaped, thin and flat, also often loose or absent. The belly is large, the back is elevated towards the rump, more as in the Savanna Shorthorn. The rump is narrow in cows and muscular in bulls. The legs are thin and short. Most animals are plain black, black with spots or black pied. Near Sassandra and Tabou in Ivorycoast often greyish, red, red pied or brown pied.
On the Benin coast, when tide is low, the cattle graze freely in the lagoon, with high water - from July until November, cattle of several owners are kept together on floating islands and are brought grass every day by boat. On the palm plantations of Ivorycoast the animals are individually tied under a tree, in order to fertilize the ground. 

Mit dem N`Dama weist auch das WAS (westafrican shorthorn) eine Besonderheit auf; beide lokal begrenzten Rassen sind trypanotolerant. D.h. bei einer Infektion mit Trypanosomen, die von Stechfliegen übertragen werden, erkranken diese Tiere seltener bzw. zeigen eine nicht so ausgeprägte Symptomatik. Diese Toleranz wurde über die vielen Jahrhunderte erworben, als diese Rinder in den Lagunen Westafrikas ihren Lebensraum besiedelten.

Stand: September 2005