The long-horned Raya cattle are a breed of cattle common in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia.^[1][2] The Raya cattle have red and black coat colours. Bulls and oxen have thick and long horns and a cervicothoracic hump; cows have medium, thin horns. Raya cattle are closely related to the Afar cattle; this is a result of historical cattle raiding by the Raya people. The Raya cattle are however adapted to draught animals for tillage in the croplands of the highlands.^[1]

• Afar cattle

Ethiopia has been at a crossroads for cattle immigration to Africa^[3][4] due to

• proximity to the geographical entry of Indian and Arabian zebu
• proximity to Near-Eastern and European taurine
• introgression with West African taurine due to pastoralism

Furthermore, the diverse agro-ecology led to diverse farming systems which, in turn, made Ethiopia a centre of secondary diversification^[3] for livestock :

• The Sanga cattle (including the Raya breed) originated in Ethiopia. They are a major bovine group in Africa – a cross-breeding of local long-horned taurines and Arabian zebus^[4]
• The Zenga (Zebu-Sanga) breeds, which resulted from a second introduction and crossing with Indian zebu^[4]

The lowlands of Ethiopia are good for cattle breeding: there is abundant feed in the rangelands, and pastoral communities have a good knowledge and practice of selective and controlled breeding. Hence, the breed reproduction is much better for the agro-pastoral Raya breeds than for the generalist Arado cattle breed of the Highlands. Raya breeders use traditional methods of animal identification and intra-breed selection. They also cull unwanted male calves based on information on their genitors. Raya breeders have a sense of collective breed ownership. They only sell off oxen to outsiders, in order to protect and maintain the genetic resource from interbreeding with adjacent breeds.^[3]

• socio-political: urbanisation, and civil wars
• panzootic: cattle plague^[5]
• environmental: destruction of ecosystems and droughts^[6][7]