Aleutian wild cattle
Feral cattle of the Alaskan Aleutians, linked by genetics to Highland cattle
These are feral cattle living without owners on islands in the Alaskan Aleutian chain, chiefly Umnak and Chirikof. Genetic testing sets them apart from the usual commercial breeds of the United States and links them to Highland cattle, though how the herds began has not been traced.
- Feral cattle roam islands in the Alaskan Aleutian chain
- The Shumagin Islands herd was removed in 1985 and 1986
- Cattle are still present on Umnak Island and Chirikof Island
- About 2,000 head were counted on Chirikof Island in 2023
- Genetic testing links the herds to Highland cattle
What do Aleutian wild cattle cattle look like?
These are feral animals: domestic cattle living with no owner on islands in the Alaskan Aleutians. There is no herd book, no breeder and no regular round-up, so each island group runs loose and is counted only from time to time. The records give no coat colour, no horn shape and no frame measurement for them, and no hump is mentioned, so they are not set down as zebu. Genetic work places them apart from the ordinary commercial breeds of the United States, with Highland cattle their closest named relative. Several attempts have been made to gather the herds in for ranching.
Where does the Aleutian wild cattle come from?
How these cattle reached the Aleutians has not been traced, and no founding herd is recorded. What testing does show is that they differ from the common commercial breeds of the United States and sit nearest to Highland cattle among the breeds compared. They were on the islands well before wildlife managers turned their attention to them. The animals on the Shumagin Islands were removed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1985 and 1986. Herds survived elsewhere, on Umnak Island and on Chirikof Island, and they are there still.
Aleutian wild cattle, drawn
The land and climate of the Aleutian wild cattle
The herds live on islands in the Aleutian chain off Alaska. Two islands still carry cattle, Umnak and Chirikof, while the Shumagin Islands group is no longer there. On Chirikof the count was put at about 2,000 head in 2023. No owner moves these animals between pastures and no fence holds them, so they are handled as wild stock rather than as a farm herd. Their island range is remote and the cattle have been left largely to themselves.
At a glance: where it belongs
Land and climate
Numbers, conservation and the herd book
Only two island groups still carry these cattle, Umnak and Chirikof. The count for Chirikof was roughly 2,000 animals in 2023, the only figure given. On the Shumagin Islands the herd was removed in 1985 and 1986 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. No breed society, stud book or registry exists for these animals, and they are not managed as a breed. Attempts to round them up for ranching have been made, yet cattle remain on the two islands.
Questions people ask about Aleutian wild cattle
Where do Aleutian wild cattle come from?
No one has traced their history on the islands, and no founding herd is recorded. Genetic testing shows they are distinct from the common commercial breeds of the United States, with Highland cattle their closest named relative.
What are these cattle kept for?
They are feral, so nobody keeps them and no farm manages them. Attempts have been made to round them up for ranching, and the herd on the Shumagin Islands was removed in 1985 and 1986.
How many of them are left?
The islands still holding cattle are Umnak and Chirikof. On Chirikof the number was put at about 2,000 animals in 2023. No total is given for the two islands together.
Are they a breed with a herd book?
No. There is no registry, society or stud book for them, and they are treated as feral stock rather than as a managed breed.
What happened to the Shumagin Islands cattle?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service cleared them from the Shumagin Islands in 1985 and 1986. Elsewhere, on Umnak Island and Chirikof Island, herds are still present.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Aleutian wild cattle", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryCow rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Sizes, colours and customs differ from one herd, valley or breeder to the next. Folk beliefs are described as tradition, never as advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-16.
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