Vaynol cattle
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| Conservation status | Critical |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Great Britain |
| Distribution | Scotland |
| Use | Beef; Leather |
| Traits | |
| Weight |
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| Coat | White with black points on the ears; black |
| Horn status | Medium upswept horns |
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The Vaynol cattle is one of the United Kingdom’s rarest breeds of cattle with less than 150 breeding animals registered in the UK. The cattle is currently listed as “critical” on the Rare Breed Survival Trust list. There are currently three officially registered different herds of Vaynol cattle existing in the United Kingdom. Along with the Chillingham, it is one of the two types of White Park cattle.
This endangered breed is very similar to the White Park cattle. The Vaynol cattle are primitive and angular in appearance with curved hocks and a sloping rump. They can be white with black spots or completely black. The coloring of the spots is found on the ears, eyelids, hooves, nose, on the point of the horns and they sometimes have black socks. The females can have black teats on their udders. Males have long horns, developed outside of the head, which are flicked upwards. Females do not have horns. Bulls weigh from 400–450 kg and cows weigh from 300 up to 350 kg.
The herd has been moved from Vaynol Park and is now being taken care of by humans. However, they are still not domesticated and distrust humans. The Vaynol cattle was considered wild in the past, but due to its current endangered status and thus increased contact with humans, they are now considered semi-feral. Their nutritional requirements are low due to the animal's small size and weight. They are classified as upland beef. Their suitability in grazing conservation is described as follows:
The Vaynol cattle originates from a herd in Scotland. The history of the breed dates back over 100 years, beginning with a semi-wild herd, originally established in 1872 in Vaynol Park, North Wales.
It was kept there until the death of the owner Sir Michael Duff in 1980, when the estate was sold and it was moved to a series of locations in England. This type of herd has never existed in large numbers and the present type is descended from a small number of founders. Back in 1989 there was only one existing herd.
Four years later the herd was purchased by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) and moved four times in search of a permanent home. The original herd now resides at Temple Newsam Home Farm, West Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom. It is run by Leeds City Council.
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