Bali cattle

The Bali cattle (Bos javanicus domesticus) also known as Balinese cattle are a domesticated form of the Javan banteng. Bali cattle were an important source of meat and were used for plowing. Bali cattle are a domestic subspecies originated in Indonesia. The Bali cattle are one of the few species of true cattle that did not descend from the extinct aurochs. Their domestication occurred around 3500 BC, originating from banteng. Bali cattle have been introduced to East Timor, Java, Malaysia and Australia as livestock, and account for about one fourth of the total cattle population of Indonesia. In eastern islands, they account for up to four-fifths of the cattle. In the Northern Territory of Australia, they have escaped from captivity and roam in large herds damaging crops. Bali cattle have a hump, a white rump patch, white stockings, and white extending under the belly. Females are reddish-yellow, and males are reddish brown, turning to a dark brown with maturity. Compared to banteng, Bali cattle are smaller, demonstrate less obvious sexual dimorphism, have smaller horns, and have less developed withers. Body weights of males average from 335 to 363 kilograms, while females average from 211 kilograms to 242 kilograms. Bali cattle are noted for their remarkable ability to grow on low-quality fodder and their high fertility. The temperament of the Bali cattle is timid and deer-like, making them suitable for plowing rice paddy fields, but their hooves are too soft to pull cargo on paved roads. Mechanization and urbanization are making the cattle redundant as draft animals, however. Meat from young Bali cattle is noted for being exceptionally tender. Problems with the livestock include small birth and weaning weights, high calf mortality rates, a slow growth rates, and low milk production.