Chillingham Cattle
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216344269
2008-06-01T05:35:16Z
86.140.253.157
/* Description of the Northumberland habitat */ lack > absence
[[Image:Chillinghamherd.jpg|thumb|340px|A portion of the Chillingham Cattle herd grazing]]
'''Chillingham (Wild) Cattle''' are cattle which live wild in a large enclosed park at [[Chillingham Castle]], [[Northumberland]], [[England]]. This rare breed consists (2006) of only about 80 animals worldwide, most of which inhabit a very large park that has existed since the [[Middle Ages]] (the remainder are all at one other site). The herd has remained remarkably [[Genetics|genetically isolated]] for hundreds of years, surviving despite [[inbreeding depression]] due to the small population.<ref>Visscher et al: '' Viable Herd of [[Genetics|Genetic]]ally Uniform Cattle'', Nature 409 ([[18 January]] [[2001]]), p 303)</ref>
==Description of cattle==
The Chillingham cattle are a form of [[White Park]] cattle, although they are now generally regarded as separate from the main White Park breed. Chillingham cattle are small, with upright horns in both males and females. Like other White Parks, they are white with coloured ears (they may also have some colour on feet, nose and around the eyes). In the case of Chillinghams the ear-colour is red – in most other White Parks the ears are black (which is [[Dominance relationship|genetically dominant]] over red in cattle).
==Description of the Northumberland habitat==
The most striking element of the historic [[Habitat (ecology)|habitat]] at Chillingham is the widespread occurrence of large [[oak]] trees amongst grassland ([[wood pasture]]), providing a glimpse of Britain as it may have been in [[medieval]] times. A [[biodiversity|diversity]] of [[plants]] and [[animals]] find a habitat here, due to the absence of the [[intensive farming]] found in most other places in [[Great Britain|Britain]].
The Northumberland site is also home to a variety of other [[species]] including [[red squirrel]], [[fox]], and [[badger]], as well as [[roe deer]] and [[fallow deer]].<ref>''The Wild Cattle of Chillingham'', brochure of the Chillingham Wild Cattle Association, Chillingham, Alnwick, UK</ref> There are approximately 55 [[bird]] species including [[Common Buzzard]]s, [[Green Woodpecker]]s, and the [[Eurasian Nuthatch]] which claims this latitude as its northernmost range in the [[United Kingdom]].
An on-site warden at the park leads small groups on foot to find the Chillingham cattle herd; on some days they are evident in one of the easily accessible meadows, while on other days they are virtually impossible to find, given the tangled woodlands and the amount of space they have for roaming. Just to the east of the park is the summit of [[Ros Hill]] which gives an impressive view over the cattle.
==Ancestry and history of the Chillingham Cattle==
According to the Chillingham Wild Cattle Association, Chillingham Cattle bear some similarities to the extinct ancestral species [[Aurochs]], ''Bos primigenius primigenius'', based upon [[cranium|cranial]] geometrics and the positioning of their horns relative to the skull design. They further claim that Chillingham Wild Cattle may be direct descendants of the primordial ox which inhabited the [[British Isles]] during the [[Stone Age]]<ref>Dowager Countess of Tankerville, patron, Chillingham Wild Cattle Association, Ltd., ''The Wild White Cattle of Chillingham'', Chillingham, Alnwick, England</ref>; moreover, according to Tankerville, these characteristics differed from the cattle brought into England by the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]]. However that theory is not substantiated by current DNA analysis which implies that the Chillingham breed is descended from [[feral]] cattle.<ref> Bos primigenius in Britain: or, why do fairy cows have red ears? - Research Article - Critical Essay, http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2386/is_1_113/ai_86063329/pg_3, Jessica Hemming, April, 2002, accessed [[September 13]] [[2006]].</ref>
The Chillingham herd is considered to have been in this same site for at least seven centuries. Before the 13th century this breed is claimed to have “roamed the great forest which extended from the North Sea coast to the Clyde estuary” according to the [[Countess of Tankerville]]. During the [[13th century]] the King of England licenced [[Chillingham Castle]] to become "castellated and crenolated" and a [[drystone wall]] to be built to enclose the herd. At this time there was particular concern about [[Scotland|Scottish]] marauders, which explains also the massive build-up of fortification of the nearby [[Dunstanburgh Castle]] at the same time.<ref>C. M. Hogan, ''History and architecture of Dunstanburgh Castle'', Lumina Technologies, Aberdeen, Scotland, July, 2006</ref>
==Genetics==
Chillingham cattle have been largely or wholly separate from other [[White Park]] cattle for a long period, and it is not clear whether Chillingham and the other White Parks share a genetic origin. [[Subfossil]]s stretching back to about [[1250]], at least{{Verify source|date=July 2007}} show that the skull size has diminished over time; this size reduction may be the result of [[inbreeding]] due to the small herd size.
Using blood typology and [[mitochondrial DNA]] analysis, it has been possible to examine the genetics of Chillingham wild cattle. Dr. J. G. Hall of the Edinburgh Animal Breeding Research Organisation has found that the herd’s DNA does differ significantly from all other known cattle.
==Behaviour==
The Chillingham cattle herd is one of very few herds of domesticated cattle (''Bos primigenius taurus'') which are allowed to live effectively as wild animals, including for example leaving all the males un[[castrate]]d. Their behaviour may therefore give some insight into the behaviour of ancestral [[Aurochs|wild cattle]].
The fittest [[Cattle|bull]] becomes the [[Alpha (biology)|alpha bull]] by fighting and threatening other males to establish supremacy within the herd. Typically an alpha bull will reign for two to three years, after which time a younger, stronger bull takes over. As with certain other [[mammal]] species, the alpha male is normally the only one to [[Reproduction|breed]].
==Modern history==
In 1939 the Chillingham Wild Cattle Association Limited was formed to study and protect these special creatures. However the herd’s population decreased, and reached a minimum in the unusually hard [[winter of 1946-1947]], which only 13 animals survived. Upon the death of Lord Tankerville in 1971 the Chillingham herd was bequeathed to the Association; however, when the estate was sold in 1980, only the intervention of the [[Henry Percy, 11th Duke of Northumberland|Duke of Northumberland]] saved the herd by providing a 999 year lease by the Association to the herd’s traditional land.
As of 2006, the herd numbers about 80 animals, including a small reserve herd of about 20 head located in [[Fochabers]].
==References==
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==See also==
* [[Aurochs]]
* [[Heck Cattle]]
* [[Caledonian Forest]]
* [[White Park|White Park Cattle]]
==External links==
*[http://www.chillingham-wildcattle.org.uk/ Chillingham Wild Cattle Society]
*[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2386/is_1_113/ai_86063329 "''Bos Primigenius'' in Britain: Or, Why Do Fairy Cows Have Red Ears?"] by Jessica Hemming, ''Folklore'' Magazine, April 2002
*[http://www.rbst.org.uk/watch-list/cattle/chillingam.php UK Rare Breeds Survival Trust watch list, Category 1: Critical]
*[http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/fochabers The Crown Estate's Fochabers estate, home to the reserve herd]
[[Category:Population genetics]]
[[Category:Cattle breeds]]
[[Category:Environment of Northumberland]]
[[de:Chillingham-Rind]]
[[fr:Taureaux blancs de Chillingham]]