Betizu

Betizu cattle are a small, semi-feral Basque breed from the western Pyrenees and surrounding areas of the Basque Country and Navarre. The name is often linked to reddish or wheat-colored mountain cattle with light build, agile movement, and long, lyre-shaped horns. They are domestic cattle, Bos taurus, but many herds have been managed for generations with limited human contact in woodland, scrub, and rough upland pasture. Betizu are valued less for high milk or beef output than for their genetic heritage, landscape grazing, and connection to local culture.

Keeping Betizu requires a different approach from managing quiet commercial cattle. They need extensive habitat, strong boundaries, and experienced handlers, and routine work is usually planned around gathering points, corrals, and low-stress restraint rather than daily close contact. Conservation herds monitor births, deaths, identity, and inbreeding while trying to preserve natural hardiness and behavior. Public sites and reserves also have to manage visitor safety because horned, wary cattle can react quickly when pressured. For farmers, sanctuaries, and breed groups, the main stewardship task is maintaining viable herds without turning them into a heavily selected production breed.

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