Amsterdam Island

Amsterdam Island cattle were a feral population of domestic cattle on Ile Amsterdam, a remote French island in the southern Indian Ocean. They descended from a small number of animals left by settlers in the late nineteenth century and became isolated for generations in a windy, oceanic climate with limited forage. Over time they were treated in breed lists as a local feral strain, but they were not a managed farm breed with a normal studbook, show type, or commercial market.

Their main human context is island conservation. Grazing and trampling damaged native plant communities and affected seabird habitat, so managers fenced parts of the island and then removed the cattle; the population is generally regarded as eradicated. Today the name appears in discussions of feral livestock, genetic isolation, and the difficult choices involved when introduced domestic animals conflict with restoration goals. There are no practical ownership or breeding considerations beyond historical records and, where available, preserved biological samples.

Colors: Belted, Black, Black and White, Blaze Faced, Blue Roan, Brindle, Brockle Faced, Brown, Brown and White, Dun, Gray, Grey, Highbelt, Highpark, Lineback, Mottled, Pied, Red, Red and White, Red Roan, Riggit, Roan, Silver, Solid Black, Solid Red, Solid White, Speckled, Spotted, White, White Faced, Yellow