Albère (bovine race)

---- |----- |----- | colspan=2 align=" center" | missing Image |----- |----- ! bgcolor=" pink" colspan=" 2" | Name binominal Boss taurus
or Boss primigenius taurus,
or Boss primigenius F. taurus
Linnaeus, 1758 |----- |----- | Origin | Spain |----- | Diffusion | Local |----- | Size | Small |----- | Dress | Linked black |----- | Use | Bouchère |----- |} The albère is a bovine race Spanish. Formerly, it was also called fagine (fagine = fageda, forest of beeches or fagina = long pitchfork, because of their glance) Spanish side or massanenques (massane = river) rather French side.

Origin

It comes from the Massif of Albères, in the oriental party of the the Pyrenees. One indexed black, gray or clear individuals of color there. Today, one distinguishes a dark population in the south, the albère " noire". It would result from the Iberian Rameau and thus presents since prehistory. In north, the population is clearer: gray-brown, the albère " fagina". It would result from natural crossings which took place at the 18th century; at that time, an epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease with decimated the European cattle. French stockbreeders would have released their herd in mountain, hoping to make them escape the disease. A part became wild and was métissée with the dark race.
Les effective is weak and difficult to evaluate: around 900 individuals, 600 of " type; noire" and 300 of " type; fagine".

Morphology

It is a nonofficial race, therefore without standard of race. The color is variable: white, gray, fair, brown, black. The mucous membranes are black, the short horns and fines while growing forwards.
La size is weak. The animals weigh 275 kg for the cows and 350 kg for the bulls.

Breeding

Formerly, it was high on the communal grounds. A cowherd by village regoupait the herd and took care for all of it. In fact wild cows difficult to keep jumped everywhere and were likely to ransack the grounds and gardens. They were dreaded butchers. The owners cut down, sometimes with rifle, most difficult, to keep only the flexible ones.
Actuellement, the breeding produces animals for slaughter. They are high without much human intervention. They became interesting thanks to their work of netoyage underwoods in an area very sensitive to forest fires. The wild character of this race let take place the natural selection, giving individuals of an astonishing robustness.

Study on the race

In 1999, a genetic study was made. This reveals that l'" albère noire" is purer and reflects the ancestral bovine race of this area of the Pyrenees. It must be protected like genetic reserve, being classified by FAO like race in danger of extinction. L'" albère fagine" is resulting from the interbreeding with individuals of the fair Rameau and red: Pirenaica…

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