The Bali cattle (''Bos domesticus''), also known as Balinese cattle, Bali banteng, Indonesian cattle, or most generally, the domestic banteng are a domesticated species of bovine which originated from the

banteng The banteng (''Bos javanicus''; ), also known as tembadau, is a species of wild Bovinae, bovine found in Southeast Asia. The head-and-body length is between . Wild banteng are typically larger and heavier than their Bali cattle, domesticated ...

(''Bos javanicus''). Bali cattle are an important source of

meat Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...

and are used for plowing. They are thought to have originated in

Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...

History and range

The Bali cattle are one of the few species of true cattle that did not descend from the extinct

aurochs The aurochs (''Bos primigenius''; or ; pl.: aurochs or aurochsen) is an extinct species of Bovini, bovine, considered to be the wild ancestor of modern domestic cattle. With a shoulder height of up to in bulls and in cows, it was one of t ...

. Their domestication occurred around 3500 BC, originating from banteng. Bali cattle have been introduced to

East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

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 The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

of Australia, they have escaped from captivity and roam in large herds damaging crops.

Characteristics

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.

Husbandry

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. Feeding the Banteng

Problems with the livestock include small birth and weaning weights, high calf mortality rates, slow growth rates, and low milk production.

Breeding

Artificial insemination was first introduced to Bali cattle in southern Sulawesi and Timor in 1975 and 1976. It has been performed in Bali since the 1980s with semen from the National Artificial Insemination Centre of Singosari, and semen has been produced and distributed by the Artificial Insemination Centre of the Bali Province since 2001.

Disease

Domestic banteng are noted for their high resistance to most diseases. However, they are susceptible to malignant catarrhal. The cattle are also very susceptible to Jembrana disease, which was first described in the cattle in 1964.

Conservation

The population of Bali cattle has been declining in most places, due to greater consumption of the cattle than local capacity to supply. In recent years, there have been calls to increase the population of domestic banteng. Ronny Rachman Noor from Bogor Agricultural Institute has charged that the Indonesian government has undervalued the cattle simply because they were local, and that national policies must be enacted to optimally preserve the cattle. The Indonesian government has understood the need to explore new strategies to improve the low productivity of Bali banteng and address concerns relating to husbandry and nutrition, but this adoption has been historically slow.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q27961539 Bos Mammals described in 1905 Domesticated animals Mammals of Indonesia Fauna of Bali Austronesian agriculture