The Wild Watusi

Few large animals are as abundant in North America as cows.  There are millions of head of cattle, both beef and dairy, across the continent, and while many of them are concentrated in field lots or in grazing lands out west, it's still not an uncommon occurrence to see cattle in fields on the side of the road.  So common, in fact, that many folks find them kind of boring, parts of the scenery.  Several zoos keep cattle, usually with the other domestics in farmyard areas.

The exception is the Watusi.

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Also known as the Ankole (or Ankole-Watusi), the Watusi is a breed of cattle of African origin.  They are large cattle, usually red or predominately red in color, not that most people ever notice the color.  What they notice instead are the horns... which are frighteningly massive.  Not only are they very long, comparable to the aptly named Texas longhorn cattle, but they are far thicker - I've worked with bulls that I couldn't reach around the base of the horns with both hands.  The horns are the largest of any cattle breed and, to put it mildly, can be quite a sight.  I often remember the first time I saw a wild animal of one species or another.  The Watusi is the only domestic animal in which I very clearly remember seeing one for the first time.

Lately, I feel like I see a lot of Watusi, though.  More than I'd like to.  And in contexts that I don't like.

Watusi have been popular as zoo exhibits for years; I've worked with a few myself.  Most of my memories concern my often-failed efforts to dodge their horns as they turn their heads from side to side, with the occasional concussion resulting.  I feel like I'm increasingly seeing them not as farm animals in domestic areas of the zoo, but in exhibits with zebras, giraffe, and other wild animals.  That I don't like.  The reason isn't aesthetics or educational messaging (though I don't like the implication that they are a wild species - it's an inaccurate message).  I dislike that they take potential space away from actual wild African ungulates, some of which may be conservation dependent.  And to be fair, every wild African ungulate is more conservation dependent than a cow, no matter the span of its horns.

With its impressive spread, a Watusi may be a more impressive exhibit animal than, say, a Speke's gazelle, an impala, or perhaps even an African buffalo.  If I brought non-zoo folks to visit, I know which animal would interest them more.  But I don't think we should be just focusing on what pleases people or has the biggest shock value.  Watusi have their place in a zoo - with other domestics.  And that place shouldn't come at the expense of other animals in greater need.