‘Watusi’ is the most commonly used name for several similar cattle lineages spread throughout Eastern Africa. Watusi are large bovids related to our cows or bulls, although they are likely more more closely related to the extinct wild ‘uro’ (present in Europe until the XVII century), or the Asian zebu.

Watusi get their name from the tribe that has historically bred them, the Rwandan Watusi. The animals of this breed form herds living in semiliberty and humans obtain from them milk, meat and leather. As livestock in Africa these animals are irreplaceable. Other attempts to acclimatize European species to African environments have failed.

The spectacular horns are present and identical in both males and females. The span of the horns, often reaching around 2 meters, makes them majestic and very powerful-looking.

Like all bovids and other animal families, watusi are ruminants; they first eat and then regurgitate the semidigested food to again chew it and ingest it.

Bos taurus are not listed on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.