History
The Orinis Kritis breed (Mountain Cattle breed of Crete) possibly descends from a cattle population bred in Crete for centuries. Early 20th century sources mention two distinct types of cattle in Crete, the Messara type now extinct and the Mountain type. Since the 1960s and due to the rapid mechanization of agriculture native working cattle became obsolete and were largely abandoned. Furthermore, extensive crossing with European improved breeds shrunk the indigenous populations even further pushing them to the brink of extinction. The last herd of the Mountain type cattle was kept for years by the Manoussakis family. On the advice of “Amalthia Network”, when the owner died the cattle were placed in the care of three breeders thus preventing the extinction of the last specimens. These cattle are currently bred for their meat.
Morphological Traits
Morphologically Cretan Mountain cattle resemble the Vrahicheratiki breed. Their colour is uniformly solid red in various tonalities. Adult animals usually have dark circles around the eyes.
The skin and hooves are dark. The head in relation to the body is symmetrical. Horns are thin and short, turned to the sides and then to the front. The body is long and solid with well-developed muscles. Bulls display a weak hump at the withers. The tail is long with the tuft reaching the ground. Currently, there are no accurate height measurements but height at the withers is estimated at 115 cm.
Population
According to recent data there are currently four breeding groups in the Chania region with a total of 35 animals. All breeders co-operate with “Amalthia Network” and the Athens Agricultural University in order to increase the cattle’s population. The population of the breed is classified as ‘Critical’.