Guests can see our Ankole cattle while experiencing the Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction, Wild Africa Trek or Savor the Savanna at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park and on the savannas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Ankole Cattle in the Wild
Domesticated Ankole cattle are descendants of an ancient breed of cattle that lived in the Nile Valley around 4000 BC. They are sometimes called Watusi cattle, the name given to them by one of the tribes that originally owned the herds. Many centuries later, the herds migrated with their owners further south into Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, creating the basis of many African cattle breeds. Ankole cattle can now be found all over the world in zoos and private ranches. Their large horns are a defining characteristic and can span up to 6 feet (1.8 m) tip to tip. The horns may look heavy, but have a honeycomb structure inside. Rather than weighing the cattle down, their horns help them cool down as blood circulates—like having an internal air conditioner!

The animal care experts at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge ensure excellence in animal care by meeting the unique needs of these impressive cattle.

A Sweet Tooth
Ankole cattle have quite the sweet tooth and enjoy looking for food that is scattered on the savanna each day. Some of their favorite treats are special herbivore biscuits, sweet potatoes and molasses—sounds delicious, right?

Itch Relief
Flies can be a real annoyance to Ankole cattle, so our animal care experts apply a cattle-safe fly repellent. Some of our cows suffer from allergies so we train them to receive daily allergy drops to reduce itchiness.

Veterinary Care and Training
Ankole cattle aren’t just big—they’re smart, too. Our animal care experts use training and positive reinforcement, like tasty treats, to teach the Ankole cattle behaviors that are beneficial to their health care, like stationing in a specific location, standing on a scale and moving to a certain spot. This allows us to help them exercise and participate in health checkups.

The Walt Disney Company is passionately committed to the protection of wildlife, including Ankole cattle and their natural habitats.

Threats to Ankole Cattle
As a species, domesticated cattle are not threatened. Although the dedicated efforts of breeders and zoos have preserved the Ankole breed, habitat destruction still affects many wild cattle species, like most animals found in Africa.

Farming and Conservation
While reducing human-wildlife conflict is important for most animals, the situation is further complicated when livestock are involved. When wild animals prey on livestock, farmers may retaliate against the wild animals. Another challenge is that livestock and wild animals may compete for the same natural resources like grass for grazing and trees for shade.

Protecting Livestock
The Disney Conservation Fund (DCF) supports projects that reduce the negative impacts of farming practices and livestock-predator conflict—sometimes in unique ways. One of these is through living walls, which use chain link fencing and live trees as fence posts to form a natural barrier between livestock and predators. As the tree posts grow, the root system prevents animals from digging underneath the fence and the thorny branches prevent carnivores from climbing the chain links. The living walls keep the predators out while keeping the livestock safe.

Farmers are also learning that most cats—even big cats—are afraid of dogs, so in many conservation projects dogs are used to guard livestock and keep them safe from wild carnivores. DCF supports farmer training workshops, which help farmers form a community network. The project improves the livelihoods of farmers by providing information and support while protecting livestock and wildlife like cheetahs and other carnivores.