Afar goats

Description

The Afar goat is also referred to as the Adal and Danakil goat. Its natural habitat is the Afar Region but it can also be found in northern and western Hararghe zones of the Oromia Region. Its distribution extends to the Afar area of Eritrea and northern Djibouti. Afar goats are well adapted to arid environments where they are watered every three or four days. These goats are hardy and used to long distance trekking in search of feed and water.

The Afar goat has a concave facial profile, narrow face and forward-pointed ears. The breed is also characterized as being leggy. Both males and females are horned, though females have smaller horns. The coat color is variable with a fine, short appearance. Most males have beards while wattles could appear in both males and females. Mean height at the shoulders is 64.5 and 60 cm for adult bucks and does, respectively. Afar goats are milked for domestic use or sale. The goats are maintained for meat, milk and skin production and for social affairs as they are commonly given away as dowry.