Enderby Island Cattle are Threatened by Extinction

$275 of $5,000 goal

Given by 8 generous donors in over a year

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There is no other breed of cattle in the whole world that can be compared with Seaweed Eating Enderby Island Cattle.

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Enderby Island. Barren. Roaring Forties. Albatross, sea lion and penguin territory. A small island in the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands. Exposed to gale force winds almost all year round.

465 km South of New Zealand's Mainland a small herd of cattle survived for over a hundred years in challenging conditions after being abandoned due to a failed farming venture on these remote islands, only to be eradicated by our Department of Conservation. Fortunately one cow and some semen were saved by members of the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand. We now have 3 small flocks with a total of about 30 animals in captivity but these precious animals could be wiped out by the stroke of an MPI officer's pen if they are exposed to a disease like M. bovis. Please read the whole story here: http://www.rarebreeds.co.nz/endcattlepro.html

We know these cattle are unique, we know they carry traits long lost in all other cattle breeds on this planet. Please help us to saveguard their genetics by donating to this very worthy cause. We would like to collect embryos from 3 cows at a total cost of $25.000. If we raise only a fraction of the money needed we'll collect embryos from one cow only.

Kakapo, Kiwi and many other iconic New Zealand animals have corporate sponsors. All our heritage livestock animals have is a Department of Conservation hell bent on eradicating them - and hopefully some generous donors out there who see the importance of preserving our livestock genetics because we never know what they will be useful for in future. Embryos frozen in a straw will provide security for the breed's future!

About us

The Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand Incorporated, founded in 1988, is an organization devoted to the preservation of rare and endangered breeds of livestock.

Use of funds

All funds raised will be used to collect embryos and cryopreserve them as the small population of living animals needs a back-up that is not threatened by diseases. Any surplus funds collected will be put toward semen or embryo collection.

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Villa on 09 Oct 2020

$75

Andrew on 09 Oct 2020

Go you good thing! I started with a Wikipedia article and ended up here. What a great story. Here’s to a great outcome.

$100

Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand Incorporated

Thank you so much for your donation. At present one herd of these cattle are being evaluated in Hawke's Bay for their potential to pass on genetics that may reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It it a known fact that seaweed as part of a cattlebeast's diet can reduce methane emissions and Enderby cattle had to survive on a diet of seasweed for a large part of the year. If you'd like to make contact with the team at the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand, you can find our contact details on our website: http://www.rarebreeds.co.nz/committee.html. I'm Marina, editor of our magazine Rare Breeds NewZ.