Ennstal Mountain Pied Cattle
Encyclopedia
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. The name comes from the Ennstal ("Enns Valley").
The small light Ennstal Mountain Pieds originate from Bavarian Whitehead Pied Cattle. Once they were almost totally foxy red before the white spots in their fur increased. In the end 75 to 80 % of the fur was white with only the loin and the side remaining clouded or with fringed spots. The inner ears are coloured. Horns, claws and mucosas are mostly pigment free. The breed was once popular as a draft and beef animal. In the 18th century the breed was replaced by Murboden Cattle
Murboden Cattle
Murboden Cattle are bred primarily in Carinthia, Styria and Lower Austria in Austria, and in the bordering Slovenia. They are a mountain breed used as beef and milk producers, as well as being draught animals. Hair colour varies from yellowish to light red or grey, with deeper red areas around the...
, Pinzgau Cattle
Pinzgau Cattle
Pinzgauer Cattle are a dual purpose cattle breed from the Pinzgau region of the federal state of Salzburg in Austria. They are distinctively coloured, with chestnut brown sides and white back and underside. They can be naturally polled...
, or Carinthian Blondvieh
Carinthian Blondvieh
The Carinthian Blondvieh is an old cattle breed that is native to Carinthia in Austria.- Characteristics :The Carinthian Blondvieh is typically uniformly white or pale yellow, with a pale mouth, horns, and hooves. Cows weigh to , bulls to . The Blondvieh was once a draft animal as well as a...
. The animals are fully developed after two years in the alps, so they count as the earliest maturing alpine cattle breed. Although they do not become fat their beef is well marbled.
It was thought that the last two cows had been slaughtered in 1986, but some surviving animals were found. Their conservation is organised by the Union for the Conservation of Endangered Domestic Animal Breeds (VEGH) and the Austrian National Union for Gene Reserves. In the year 2004 there were in Austria 65 animals in 6 farms again.