Phenotypic characterization of Harar and Ogaden cattle breeds of Ethiopia: The first step for conservation

Fourteen morphological and eight morphometric traits on a total of 456 adult cattle (354 cows and 102 oxen) from five purposively selected districts were recorded to characterize the cattle populations in eastern Ethiopia. Frequency, general linear model, and multivariate analysis procedures of Statistical Analysis Software (SAS 9.0) were used to analyze the data. The morphological similarities among the cattle populations from Tulo, Jarso, and Fedis districts confirm the presence of a unique cattle breed which was previously referred to as Harar cattle. The same was observed for the cattle populations from Jigjiga and Kebri Beyah districts which were previously referred to as Ogaden cattle. The Harar cattle are characterized by their forward-oriented, widely spaced, and medium-length horns while the Ogaden cattle possess upright-oriented, narrowly spaced short horns. The majority of the Ogaden cattle had gray body color while the Harar cattle possess multiple body colors where red and its combination with white and black colors are observed frequently. Most of the morphometric measurement values were higher for the oxen, while the cows had longer horns. Moreover, Ogaden cattle had higher morphometric measurement values than the Harar cattle. According to the multivariate analysis results the cattle populations in the study area were separated into two breeds; the Harar and Ogaden. However, these results only showed the phenotypic differences which might not necessarily be due to genetic differences. Therefore, further genetic characterization is recommended to understand their level of relationships which in turn helps to design conservation and breeding programs.