THERE IS a new record price for a South African bull, following the sale of an 11 year old male for R1.65m (£85,0000) at a farm auction.

The Ankole bull, called Cumulus, sports a stunning set of six foot wide horns which are in the 'Rutara' shape and has mottled spots on its coat in the 'Kiremba ky’ekikanga' style. The 815kg bull was bought at South Africa’s largest ever Ankole sale at Phala Phala Wildlife reserve and farm in the Bela Bela area.

Speaking to The Scottish Farmer, breeder Daniel Naudé said: “The breed is currently very popular and a lot of farmers are interested in the longhorns. I sold another Ankole mottled heifer at the same auction for R600,000 (£30,000) which was also sired by Cumulus. There are only about 800 fullblood Ankole cattle in South Africa, so demand is higher than supply at the moment.”

By comparison, pedigree Hereford cows from a top stud are selling for between R30,000 to R40,000 (£1500 to £2000) and a finished steer is being sold for between R5000 to R6000 (£300).

The huge horned breed is increasingly popular in South Africa after the current president Cyril Ramaphosa first imported embryos from Uganda in 2004. Due to animal health restrictions the cows could not come directly from Uganda but Mr Ramaphosa had to take Ankole cows to Kenya to be flushed, then taking the embryos to South Africa to be born. From there, the president has built up the largest herd of Ankole cattle in the country. The eye catching breed can be reared for milk or beef and is particularly popular on game reserves and in eco tourism.

Mr Naudé was brought up in rural South Africa where the family reared Hereford cattle. Outside of farming he is a professional art photographer that focuses on animals. It was on a trip to Uganda to photograph the cattle in 2012 he fell in love with the breed. After this he was contacted by Mr Ramaphosa, then deputy president of South Africa, to ask if he would collaborate on an Ankole book, 'Cattle of the Ages', that they published in 2017.

After the book in 2017, Mr Naudé set up his own small herd on the family farm on Yonder Hill Wine Farm in Stellenbosch. Naudé has called his stud Benella which is named after his two children, Benjamin and Ella.

From the president’s own herd Mr Naude bought Cumulus and eight cows. The cattle numbers have now grown to 32 on the farm today. They are grazed on 15 hectares of irrigated pastures which is a must due to the long dry summers in the Cape. Each year Mr Naudé flushes his cows and transplants embryos into Jersey or Friesian host females to speed up the growth of his herd and satisfy the growing demand for the Ankole at sales. His cows are likely to be providing embryos for years to come as they are known to live up to 28 years of age.

The cows calve in Spring which is October in South Africa, and calves are born with only small stumps for horns. The cattle stay out most of the year, only coming inside during the rains in winter on the Western Cape. The mothers are very protective as in their home in Uganda, there are jackals and hyenas who attack young calves with their massive horns coming in handy for defence.

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Besides defence, the horns are also critical to keeping the cattle cool under the baking African sun. The first 30cm of the horn has a honeycomb structure within it where blood vessels circulate to keep the Ankole cool. The rest of the horn is hollow which again helps reduce body temperature. This is required when temperatures can soar on the sub sahara plains where the cattle originate. The horns come in different shapes, with 23 different types classified by the breed society. To maximise the horn size, Mr Naudé will cross a cow with wide horns at the base with a bull who has long horns hoping to get strong and large horned offspring.

Built to survive the fierce African landscape, farmers in Uganda say that the cows can go three days without water and five days without food. Being native to Africa they are much more resistant to ticks and disease than imported breeds.

Mr Naudé said: “It is not easy working with such big horns but the cattle are quite gentle. Using the press and clamp is a challenge but the cows get used to it and turn their heads gently to get into the race. Cumulus just turns his head and puts one horn through then the other. Then I put my hand on his head and lock the clamp.

“The Ankole have a big future in South Africa. They produce a lot of meat which is low in cholesterol and high in omega fats. We are even starting to milk them, and we hope for 12-15 litres per day. This isn’t as much as commercial European cattle breeds, but the milk is rich and high in buttermilk.”

Another use for the animals is that once bulls come to the end of their life, they can be let out into game reserves and hunted for sport.

The allure of Presidential backing of the breed combined with farms and wildlife reserves looking to make a statement, the breed looks to be going from strength to strength.