N'Dama
A West African breed that can live where tsetse flies carry trypanosomiasis
N'Dama is a West African breed of taurine cattle from the Guinea highlands, also kept in Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, the Gambia and Guinea-Bissau. Its main quality is tolerance of trypanosomiasis, the tsetse-fly disease, along with resistance to ticks and stomach worms.
- Tolerates trypanosomiasis, so herds can live where tsetse flies are common
- Also resists ticks and Haemonchus contortus stomach worms
- In Nigerian trials it was up to three times more resistant than Nguni cattle
- First calving comes at about three and a half years in Upper Casamance
- Calves are weaned near 12 months; overall annual mortality is 12 per cent
What do N'Dama cattle look like?
N'Dama is a breed of West African cattle, placed with the taurine, humpless cattle of the region rather than the humped zebu. One of its other names, Fouta Longhorn, points to long horns; local names vary from country to country and include Djallonké, Boenca and Malinke. The breed's worth lies in its defences rather than its looks. It tolerates trypanosomiasis, the disease spread by tsetse flies, and it also holds off ticks and the infections they carry, as well as Haemonchus contortus, a stomach worm.
Where does the N'Dama come from?
It comes from the Guinea highlands. From there it spread through much of West Africa. In Senegal, herds are kept in the lower, middle and upper parts of Casamance. Elsewhere in the region they are kept in Mali, Ivory Coast, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and also in the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria. Writers record many local forms and names, among them Djallonké, Fouta Jallon and Fouta Malinke. Animals were carried to the Caribbean island of St Croix in the late 19th century, and their blood later went into the Senepol.
What the N'Dama is known for
The breed's great strength is its tolerance of trypanosomiasis, the sickness spread by tsetse flies. Because of that, N'Dama herds can be kept in fly-infested country where many other cattle sicken, and this is the quality that has drawn researchers to the breed. It also resists ticks and the diseases ticks carry, and it copes better than many breeds with Haemonchus contortus, a stomach worm. In Nigerian trials it came out as much as two to three times, or about 25 per cent, more resistant than Nguni cattle.
How the N'Dama is bred and kept
Calving records from Casamance give a picture of how the breed reproduces. Heifers there first calve at about three and a half years, a little earlier in Lower and Middle Casamance than in Upper Casamance. Calves arrive roughly every 16 or 17 months in the middle and upper areas, and about every 19 months lower down. Four births in five fall in the last half of the year. Between 10 and 20 per cent of pregnancies end in abortion, leaving an average calving rate of 56 per cent. Calves are weaned at around a year old, and males are castrated at about three years where that is done.
N'Dama, drawn
What the N'Dama is kept for
N'Dama are kept as general livestock in the tsetse-fly belt of West and Central Africa, where their tolerance lets a herd survive when other cattle struggle. The breed has also been used in crossbreeding to pass that quality on. Animals taken to St Croix in the Caribbean in the late 19th century contributed to the making of the Senepol, a beef breed.
The land and climate of the N'Dama
The breed belongs to the tsetse-fly country of sub-Saharan Africa, above all in its west and centre. Trypanosomiasis is a heavy burden on livestock farming in those regions, and the flies make much of the land hard to use with other cattle. N'Dama cope where they occur, which is why herds are spread across a wide belt of West Africa rather than confined to one small district. Casamance, in southern Senegal, is one area where the breed has been studied closely.
At a glance: where it belongs
Land and climate
Keeping N'Dama cattle
Calves are weaned at about 12 months. Where males are castrated, it is done at roughly three years of age. Losses are heaviest in the first year: deaths run at 30 per cent for calves under a year, 15 per cent from one to two years, 5 per cent between two and three years, and 2 per cent among adults, giving an overall annual mortality of 12 per cent.
Numbers, conservation and the herd book
Performance figures rather than head counts are what the records give: an average calving rate of 56 per cent, 10 to 20 per cent of pregnancies ending in abortion, and deaths of about 12 per cent a year, concentrated among young stock. Its standing in research is high. International trials by ILRI, working with herds in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria, rated N'Dama the most trypanotolerant breed. In Nigerian work it was found up to two to three times, or 25 per cent, more resistant than Nguni, and KALRO research in Kenya found N'Dama x Boran crosses behaved in a similar way.
Questions people ask about N'Dama
Where does the N'Dama come from?
It comes from the Guinea highlands in West Africa. Herds are kept across a wide belt of the region, including Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, the Gambia and Guinea-Bissau.
What is it kept for?
It is kept as general livestock in the tsetse-fly country of West and Central Africa, where other cattle often fail. Tolerance of trypanosomiasis lets a herd live there, helped by resistance to ticks and to the stomach worm Haemonchus contortus.
Why is the breed important in research?
International trials by ILRI, using herds in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria, rated it the most resistant breed to trypanosomiasis. Nigerian work found it up to three times more resistant than Nguni, and KALRO research in Kenya reported a similar pattern for N'Dama x Boran crosses.
How often do N'Dama cows calve?
In Casamance the gap between calvings is about 16 to 17 months in the middle and upper areas, and around 19 months in the lower area. First calving comes at roughly three and a half years, and most births fall in the second half of the year.
How has the breed been used in crossing?
N'Dama have been crossed with Nguni and Boran cattle to lift their resistance. Animals were also taken to St Croix in the Caribbean in the late 19th century, and their blood forms part of the admixed Senepol beef breed, along with Red Poll and zebu.
Good reading and sources
- N'Dama on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "N'Dama", 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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