Red Chittagong
In its own language: Lal Birish
A small red zebu from southern Bangladesh, kept for milk, meat and work.
The Red Chittagong, known locally as Lal Birish, is a small Bangladeshi zebu breed kept for milk, meat and draught work. It comes from the Chittagong District in the south of the country, and is set apart by its red coat, red tongue, horns, hooves and even red eyelashes.
- Called Lal Birish by local people in Bangladesh
- Red not only in coat but in tongue, horns, hooves and even eyeballs
- Bulls weigh 250 to 400 kg, cows 150 to 250 kg
- Formed mainly in Chittagong District, southern Bangladesh
- Triple-purpose: milk, draught work and beef
What do Red Chittagong cattle look like?
Red Chittagong are small zebu cattle, the humped kind of cow (Bos indicus) found across South Asia. Bulls weigh roughly 250 to 400 kg and cows about 150 to 250 kg. In build they are much like the ordinary native cows of Bangladesh; colour is what sets them apart. The coat is a reddish brown, and the same red pigment shows in parts where other cattle carry other shades: the horns and hooves, the tongue, the eyebrows, eyelashes and eyeballs, the vulva, and the tail switch, the tuft of hair at the tip of the tail. From tongue to hoof the animal reads as one even red.
Where does the Red Chittagong come from?
The Red Chittagong is a breed of Bangladesh, formed mainly in the Chittagong District of the country's south. Local people call it Lal Birish. Its story is closely tied to the common native cattle of the land, because in most respects it is the same animal. The two differ chiefly in colour: where an ordinary local cow's tongue, horns or hooves carry another shade, those of the Red Chittagong are red.
What the Red Chittagong is known for
The breed's clearest feature is its colour, and the colour is thorough. The red of the coat repeats in the bare and hairy parts where many cattle show contrasting shades, down to the eyelashes and the eyeballs themselves. In shape and size there is nothing extreme: a smallish, plainly built cow of the familiar local pattern, with bulls at some 250 to 400 kg and cows at 150 to 250 kg. Its worth lies in doing several jobs at once rather than excelling at one.
Red Chittagong, drawn
What the Red Chittagong is kept for
Red Chittagong are triple-purpose cattle, kept alike for milk, for meat and for work. Cows are milked. Some animals serve as oxen; an ox is cattle trained to pull loads, and draught means exactly that kind of work. Beef is the third strand, taken from smallish animals, since bulls run to about 250 to 400 kg and cows to 150 to 250 kg. The breed suits keepers who want one kind of cow to fill several roles rather than keeping separate dairy, beef and working animals.
From the Red Chittagong
Questions people ask about Red Chittagong
Where do Red Chittagong cattle come from?
The breed was formed mainly in the Chittagong District of southern Bangladesh. It is a Bangladeshi breed throughout, and local people know it as Lal Birish. In most respects it is the same animal as the country's ordinary native cattle.
What are Red Chittagong cattle kept for?
They are triple-purpose animals. Cows are milked, some are worked as draught oxen pulling loads, and others are raised for beef. One kind of cow can thus fill several roles on the farm instead of a household keeping separate types.
How can I recognise a Red Chittagong?
Look beyond the coat. Besides the reddish brown body, the tongue, horns and hooves, the eyebrows, eyelashes and even the eyeballs, the vulva and the tail switch are all red. On other local cattle those parts are a different shade.
How big do they grow?
They are small cattle. A bull weighs about 250 to 400 kg and a cow roughly 150 to 250 kg. In build they resemble the familiar native cows of Bangladesh, with no extreme size or shape.
Are they zebus or humpless cattle?
They are classified as Bos indicus, the zebu line, the humped cattle of South Asia. Within that group they form a distinct Bangladeshi breed, set apart less by shape than by their thorough red colouring.
Good reading and sources
- Red Chittagong on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Red Chittagong", 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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