Ankole descended from an ancient species of cattle that lived in the Nile Valley around 4000 BC. Many centuries later, the herds migrated with their owners further south into Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, where they gave rise to a number of African cattle breeds including the Ankole.

The Ankole’s distinctive horns can span up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) tip to tip. While they may look heavy, the horns are composed of a honeycomb structure designed to let blood circulate and cool. So instead of weighing the cattle down, the horns cool them down—like their very own air conditioners!

At Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park, you can spot these amazing creatures while enjoying the Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction or when you’re on the Wild Africa Trek or Savor the Savanna tours. You can also find them grazing on the savanna at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.

• Catering to a Sweet Tooth: Ankole cattle have quite a sweet tooth and enjoy grazing for treats scattered for them on the savanna. Some of their favorites are special herbivore biscuits, sweet potatoes and molasses.
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• Itch Relief: Flies can be a real annoyance to Ankole cattle, so the animal care experts apply a cattle-safe fly repellent. Some of the herd suffer from allergies so we give them daily allergy drops to reduce itchiness.
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• Veterinary Care and Training: Ankole cattle aren’t just big—they’re smart too. Disney animal care experts use training and positive reinforcement, like tasty treats, to teach the Ankole cattle behaviors that will benefit their health care—like stationing in a specific location, standing on a scale and moving to a certain spot. This helps them exercise and gets them to participate in health checkups.

The Walt Disney Company is committed to saving wildlife and protecting the magic of nature together as a global community.

The population of domesticated cattle is not threatened. Although the dedicated efforts of breeders and zoos have preserved the Ankole breed, habitat destruction still affects many wild cattle species.

Since 1995 the Disney Conservation Fund* has supported nonprofit organizations working with communities globally to promote human-wildlife coexistence and benefit both communities and animals like Ankole cattle.