Bonsmara
A South African beef breed built from Afrikaner, Hereford and Shorthorn lines
The Bonsmara is a beef breed from South Africa, developed as a scientific experiment by Professor Jan Bonsma. It is a composite of Afrikaner, a Sanga type, with Hereford and Shorthorn, and it is known for the quality of its beef and for resistance to local diseases.
- Originated in South Africa as a scientific experiment by Professor Jan Bonsma
- Known for high-quality beef and for resistance to local diseases
- Afrikaner, a Sanga type, makes up five parts in eight of its ancestry
- Hereford and Shorthorn each contribute three parts in sixteen
What do Bonsmara cattle look like?
The Bonsmara is a beef breed. It came out of a planned breeding programme rather than from an old local landrace, and it is kept for its meat and for its ability to withstand diseases that trouble cattle in South Africa. Several parent breeds went into it. The Afrikaner, a Sanga type, supplies the greatest share of the ancestry. Two taurine breeds, the Hereford and the Shorthorn, make up the smaller share between them, each contributing the same amount. In breeding terms it is a composite: a modern breed formed by crossing established breeds and then fixing the mixture.
Where does the Bonsmara come from?
The breed belongs to South Africa. It began as a scientific experiment run by Professor Jan Bonsma. He used repeated cross matings and then back-crosses, meaning that an animal is mated to one of the lines it comes from. Afrikaner, a Sanga type, holds five of every eight parts of the ancestry. The other three parts in eight are split equally: Hereford and Shorthorn each carry three parts in sixteen.
What the Bonsmara is known for
Two things are recorded about this breed. One is the quality of its beef; the other is its resistance to diseases found in its home country. Both matter to anyone running cattle there, since healthy animals are less trouble and well-flavoured meat finds a market. The breed came out of a scientific breeding programme rather than chance, and it is a beef animal rather than one kept for milk or work.
How the Bonsmara is bred and kept
The Bonsmara is a made breed. It did not emerge on its own; it was put together deliberately. Professor Jan Bonsma carried out the work in South Africa as a scientific experiment. Many rounds of cross mating, followed by back-crosses, went into building it. Repeated matings of that kind are how a fixed type is reached: after enough generations the animals breed true to the mixture their ancestors carried. From the three parent lines came a single breed, kept for beef.
Bonsmara, drawn
What the Bonsmara is kept for
This is a beef breed. Meat is the product it is kept for, and the quality of that meat is one of the two things recorded about it. The second is its resistance to diseases in the place it comes from. Both come from the same breeding work, which was carried out in South Africa. In outline, the animals are raised for their meat, and the breed is classed as beef cattle.
Questions people ask about Bonsmara
Where does the Bonsmara come from?
South Africa. It was developed there as a scientific experiment run by Professor Jan Bonsma, using repeated cross matings and back-crosses of Afrikaner, Hereford and Shorthorn stock until the mixture bred true.
What is the Bonsmara kept for?
Beef. It is a beef breed, and the quality of its meat is one reason it is valued. It is also valued for resistance to diseases that affect cattle in its home region.
Which breeds went into the Bonsmara?
The Afrikaner, a Sanga type, gives five parts in eight of the ancestry. Two taurine breeds, the Hereford and the Shorthorn, split the remaining three parts in eight evenly, at three parts in sixteen apiece.
Why was such a complicated cross used?
The work was done in South Africa as a scientific experiment. By mixing an African Sanga type with two taurine breeds and back-crossing, the breeders arrived at animals recorded for good beef and for resistance to local diseases.
Good reading and sources
- Bonsmara on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Bonsmara", 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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