History
The breed is very old. It is named after Roumlouki - a now obsolete designation introduced during the Ottoman rule. The term indicated the lowlands of the Imathia prefecture populated by Greeks with Alexandria as the main town. Historically, it is viewed as a breed created from crosses of indigenous plains sheep with sheep of Albanian nomads (Gkeg) wintering in the region. Formerly, the breed enjoyed a much wider geographical distribution beyond its traditional stronghold, in the plains of Thessaloniki, Florina and Monastirion (Bitola) extending as far as Albania. In 1968 a small herd was established at the ‘Giannitsa Livestock Institute’ which was gradually downsized until it was disbanded in 1986. The breed is thought to have become extinct in the 1990s. The breed’s last herd was recently identified, by the Thessaloniki CAGR in the village of Mikro Monastiri but spends summers on Vermion Mountain. Currently, on the advice of “Amalthia Network” a second purebred nucleus with offspring from the Mikro Monastiri herd was established at Krya Vrysi in Pella.
Morphological Traits
The breed is medium-sized, even-woolled and thin-tailed. Rams weigh 49-65 kg and ewes 35-39 kg. Height at the withers for rams is 62 -70 cm and for ewes 58-64 cm.
All rams are horned. Ewes are polled. The head is of a medium to large size with a slightly convex profile. The ears are of medium size. The limbs are of medium length and strong and the body is covered by wool. The head, forehead, limbs and occasionally the belly are free of wool. The colour is usually white, often with spotting on the eyes and limbs. There are also solid black and solid chestnut specimens.
Population
According to the Drama CAGR data (2019), the total population of the Roumlouki breed is fewer than 50 animals. The breed is classified as ‘Critical’.