Red Maasai sheep

History

Although their origin is unclear, Red Maasai sheep are endemic to Kenya and have long been a part of the farming cultures of the Great Rift Valley. Though traditional Maasai culture places cattle in higher prominence than small ruminants, many Maasai and smallholders in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda have raised the breed.

The Red Maasai was the predominant sheep breed among the Maasai and other tribes in Kenya until the 1970s, when subsidies began to support crossbreeding with Dorper sheep and other imported types. Developed in South Africa, Dorpers began to be widely crossbred with native Kenyan stock. Today, fewer purebred Red Maasai sheep remain, and crossbreeds are the majority, making the future of the breed uncertain.

Characteristics

Red Maasai sheep are named for their usual color of red-brown, though they may also be pied. The breed is a hair sheep, meaning it does not produce wool, though it may have a shaggy coat of hair. It is also a fat-tailed sheep breed known for visibly large fat deposits in its tail and hindquarters. Red Maasai are medium-to-large bodied sheep. These factors mean the Red Maasai is suited to meat production instead of fiber.

Red Maasai sheep are renowned for their resistance to parasite like Haemonchus contortus.

This resistance is potentially of great value to other sheep operations due to the significant financial losses caused by parasites in other sheep-producing regions. Consequently, scientists have focused on attempting to identify the genes responsible for internal parasite resistance in Red Maasai sheep.

References

References

1. "Masai Sheep". [[Oklahoma State University]] Dept. of Animal Science.
2. Kiriro, P.M.. "Estimate of genetic and phenotypic parameters for the Dorper, Red Maasai and their crosses". [[FAO]].
3. Solomon Bekure. (1991). "Maasai herding: an analysis of the livestock production system of Maasai pastoralists in eastern Kajiado District, Kenya". [[ILRI]] (aka ILCA and ILRAD).
4. (2007). "Socio-economic factors influencing small ruminant breeding in Kenya". Livestock Research for Rural Development.
5. (2007). "The state of the world's animal genetic resources for food and agriculture". [[FAO]].
6. "Red Maasai". [[International Livestock Research Institute]].
7. International Livestock Centre for Africa. (1994). "Improving livestock production in Africa: evolution of ILCA's programme 1974-94". [[ILRI]] (aka ILCA and ILRAD).
8. Mugambi, JM. (November 1996). "Response of dorper and red Maasai lambs to trickle Haemonchus contortus infections". Research in Veterinary Science.
9. (September 6, 2007). "African sheep could help farmers save". [[Sydney Morning Herald]].
10. (12 November 2007). "Red maasai sheep helping Australia". [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation.