Köthen/Malschwitz (dpa/sa) - Cuddly and clumsy: In the zoo in Köthen (Anhalt-Bitterfeld district), a Dahomey beef is raised by hand. It was given the name "Oskar" and was born on June 11, animal keeper Jochen Träger said on Wednesday. It is supplied with natural milk. "We're very fortunate that it's real farm cow's milk," he said. Therefore, it is not necessary to use milk powder. "Oskar" drinks 1.5 liters of milk three times a day. The son of mother "Bella" and father "Bulli" is developing very well, said Träger.
According to experts, hand-rearing is very time-consuming. Normally, a Dahomey calf drinks milk from its mother for several months. In the first few hours it is important for the survival of mammals to get the first milk from the mother animal, called colostrum or colostrum, said a spokesman for the Dahomey Association Germany (Malschwitz/Saxony). "Oskar's" mother "Bella" wanted to take care of her young, but had no milk, said the animal keeper.
With a shoulder height of about one meter, Dahomey cattle are said to be the smallest cattle breed in the world. There is always hand-rearing, said the association spokesman. It is important that the little one can stay in contact with other animals and that it is not "humanized" despite all the joy of a small cub, emphasized the keeper in Köthen. Because it is about the animal getting its place in nature and in the herd, even if it is hand-reared. It is necessary to achieve this balancing act.
The animals are considered friendly creatures, are robust against all weather conditions. They originally come from Africa. Dahomey cattle have been at home in the zoo in Köthen for several years, living in a herd. A total of around 800 animals of 135 species live in the 5.5 hectare facility in Köthen (Anhalt-Bitterfeld district).
