Network to rescue livestock breeds in Europe

I continue to be amazed by what’s happening in livestock genetic resources conservation. There is a burgeoning network of in situ conservation sites in Europe, for example, which is more than can be said for crops, really. ((Although of course ex situ is another matter. But then again, for livestock in situ is the new ex situ.)) I’m talking about the European Livestock Breeds Ark and Rescue Net (ELBARN). I particularly like the rescue element:

ELBARN aims to change the status quo by creating a network of existing Ark Farms, by encouraging the development of new ones and by enhancing the system with the missing element: capacity to rescue animals that are both Rare Breeds and face slaughter or other immediate dangers.

Guidelines are available on how to market these Ark & Rescue Centres. There’s a map of the locations of the centres under the Ark Network tab in the menu bar. There’s also a database of breeds on the website.

Little cemetery on the prairie

Also in The Economist, news that a little patch of prairie has turned up in the middle of urban St Louis, Missouri. It’s in a graveyard in the north of the city.


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There could be some crop wild relatives in this 25-acre remnant, I suppose: wild sunflowers, maybe? No word on whether there are any bison there, or whether they will be re-introduced as part of the management plan, which at the moment involves controlled burning and weeding.

Nibbles: Assisted migration, Livestock and ecosystems, Agrobiodiversity tourism, Earthworms, Fish, Cucurbits

A neck bred for biting

Quick, what do you think of when I say “Transylvania”? Right. And where do vampires generally bite? Right again: on the neck. So, what are we to make of a breed of chicken called the Transylvanian Naked Neck? That is was bred to be bitten?

Transylvanian Naked Neck rooster
Transylvanian Naked Neck rooster
I think not. Naturally I was more than piqued when I saw Transylvanian Naked Neck in the subject line of a mailing list Luigi hangs out on. Ugly buggers, we both agreed, but one fancier swears that “over a dozen hens have chosen Turkey-Neck ((That’s him over there on the left.)) as their heart-throb. We think this is because he’s gentle with girlfriends and very stern with younger, oversexed roosters.” The condition is apparently the result of a single gene that “affects the arrangement of feather-growing tracts over the chicken’s body”. Indeed, it reduces the density of feathers all over the chicken, “but this is not evident until the bird is handled”. The lack of insulation means that naked neck breeds should be given extra protection against low temperatures, but that “does not detract from the utility of the bird”.

As for the original discussion, it ended with reference to a paper Prospects for conserving traditional poultry breeds of the Carpathian Basin in which the Transylvanian Naked Neck is just one of the breeds considered. There’s a bunch of stuff in there about why the breeds are valuable and how they’re being conserved, and lots of pictures. But not an answer to the fundamental question: What (if any) evolutionary value does a naked neck give its holder? Probably none. And if they suffer more in cold weather it could even be harmful, but at least some people, and not just photophobic immortals, find them attractive. Which is a good enough reason to conserve them. Luigi reckons they probably taste good too.

Photo by Flint-Hill, used with permission.