Dølafe Cattle

The dølafe is a traditional Norwegian cattle breed that may have originated in the east of the country, around Gudbransdalen and Østerdale, in 1880 when it was wasy to access flourishing mountain pastures. The breed was developed by crossing local cattle with the Ayrshire and Telemark breeds. Because of the standardization of industrial breeds, the dølafe population plummeted and it is now listed as an endengered breed–just 179 individuals were known to exist in 2014. A general standard for this cattle breed was never agreed upon, though it is generally accepted that a dølafe should be black with a brown stripe on the back. Color variation is now characteristic of the breed: These cattle can be black, brown, red, white, or striped/brindle. The dølafe is a small breed with short legs; the average weight is 450-500 kilograms and the average height is 124 centimeters. About 85% of dølafe have horns. This is traditionally considered the weakest of the old Norwegian breeds. The conservation plan that is in place collects information on the animals and herds, and generally monitors the breed. Dølafe cattle are farmed for both milk and meat.