The Siri cattle are beautiful breed of the Zebu family of cattle, originating from Bhutan. They are now found in the hill tracts around Darjeeling and Sikkim of India and Bhutan, but Bhutan is said to be the real home of this breed.
Currently the Siri cattle are distributed from Bhutan to the various parts of Sikkim and Darjeeling. And most probably they may have some blood from the Tibetan cattle. Smaller sized cattle like the Siri with similar black and white markings have been found in Sikong province of China.
And those cattle occupies a portion of the Tibetan highlands northeast of Bhutan. The Siri cattle crossed with Nepali cattle look almost like the Siri. But they are easily distinguishable by their color pattern and position of hump and horns.
These animals are known as imitation Siri or Kachcha Siri. Currently the total population of this cattle breed is decreasing. Read more information about this cattle breed below.
Siri Cattle Characteristics
The Siri cattle are small to medium sized animals, but are normally large compared to other types of Zebu cattle breeds. They are often black and white or all black in color.
The black and white color pattern is quite similar to that of Holstein Friesian cattle. They generally have a thick coat of long hair throughout the year. Both bulls and cows usually have horns. And their horns are long and sharp and usually covered with a tuft of long coarse hair.
Compared to other Zebu breeds, the position of the hump of Siri cattle is slightly forward. They have strong legs and feet. Their dewlap is moderately developed and udders of the cows are well developed.
The Siri bulls on average weight between 360 and 550 kg. And average body weight of the cows vary from 320 to 410 kg. (Info from ansi.okstate.edu)
Uses
These animals are dual purpose. They are used for both milk production and work. They have very strong legs and feet and are useful for plowing fields and other agricultural tasks.
Special Notes
The Siri cattle are very strong and hardy animals. They can stand the rugged conditions of the mountains very well. But the breed do not seem to do so well when they are brought down to the plains.
The Siri bulls can be very valuable, because they are one of the strongest native breeds. They are great and used for agricultural work such as plowing, cultivating, threshing, transporting etc. However, review full breed profile of this breed in the table below.
| Breed Name | Siri |
| Other Name | None |
| Breed Purpose | Milk, Work |
| Special Notes | Hardy, strong |
| Breed Size | Small-Medium |
| Bulls | Between 360 and 550 kg |
| Cows | Vary from 320 to 410 kg |
| Climate Tolerance | All Climates |
| Coat Color | Black and white or all black |
| Horned | Yes |
| Milk Yield | Moderate |
| Rarity | Common |
| Country/Place of Origin | Bhutan |
