Camargue cattle
Encyclopedia
The Camargue cattle breed, in Provençal: Raço di bioù, is native to the Camargue
marshlands of the delta
of the River Rhone in southern France. The cattle are black in color with upward sweeping horns. They are hardy animals thriving on the marshes where they live semi-wild, tended by the mounted herders called gardians who ride the famous Camargue horses which live in the same area. The bulls are used for bull-fighting and for the course camarguaise; animals suitable neither for the bull-ring nor for breeding are sold for beef. The breed is also regarded as a tourist attraction. The meat of the Camargue breed, along with that of the Brava cattle breed and crosses between the two, can under strict conditions of pasturage and of zone and methods of production be marketed with the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) "Taureau de Camargue" certification of origin; animals that have appeared in the bull-ring are excluded.
The breed is not endangered, with the population estimated at 5950 head. The cattle share the wetland environment with the horses, wild boar, and flamingoes
. Cattle Egret
s live with the cattle.
Camargue
The Camargue is the region located south of Arles, France, between the Mediterranean Sea and the two arms of the Rhône River delta. The eastern arm is called the Grand Rhône; the western one is the Petit Rhône....
marshlands of the delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
of the River Rhone in southern France. The cattle are black in color with upward sweeping horns. They are hardy animals thriving on the marshes where they live semi-wild, tended by the mounted herders called gardians who ride the famous Camargue horses which live in the same area. The bulls are used for bull-fighting and for the course camarguaise; animals suitable neither for the bull-ring nor for breeding are sold for beef. The breed is also regarded as a tourist attraction. The meat of the Camargue breed, along with that of the Brava cattle breed and crosses between the two, can under strict conditions of pasturage and of zone and methods of production be marketed with the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) "Taureau de Camargue" certification of origin; animals that have appeared in the bull-ring are excluded.
The breed is not endangered, with the population estimated at 5950 head. The cattle share the wetland environment with the horses, wild boar, and flamingoes
Greater Flamingo
The Greater Flamingo is the most widespread species of the flamingo family. It is found in parts of Africa, southern Asia , and southern Europe...
. Cattle Egret
Cattle Egret
The Cattle Egret is a cosmopolitan species of heron found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species, the Western Cattle Egret and the Eastern Cattle Egret...
s live with the cattle.
See also
- Camargue equitationCamargue equitationCamargue Equitation is the traditional style of working riding of the gardian herders of the Camargue region of southern France. It is closely associated with the Camargue horse, with Camargue cattle, and with the bouvino, the traditional cultural world of cattle-farming in the Camargue....
- Camargue horse
- GardianGardianA gardian is a mounted cattle herdsman in the Camargue delta in Provence, southern France. The work is akin to that of the charro or cowboy....
- ManadeManadeA manade is a term used mainly in the Camargue area in France for a semi-feral group of Camargue cattle or horses led by a gardian, or herder. In French, the word manade dates from 1867...
- Parc naturel régional de Camargue