Garvonesa

The Garvonesa or Chamusca is a Portuguese breed of draught cattle originating in the historic region of Alentejo, in southern Portugal.^[3]: 299 It is distributed principally in the concelhos or former concelhos of Alcáçovas (now part of Viana do Alentejo), Almodôvar, Barrancos, Castro Verde, Odemira, Ourique, Santiago do Cacém and Vila Nova de Sao Bento (now part of Serpa).

GArvonesa

Conservation status	FAO (2007): endangered[1]: 92 DAD-IS (2025): at risk[2]
Other names	Chamusca
Country of origin	Portugal
Distribution	Alentejo
Cattle Bos (primigenius) taurus

History

The Garvonesa is a traditional draught breed of the valley of the Rio Mira in south-western Alentejo. It is believed to be intermediate between the Alentejana breed of Alentejo – to which microsatellite studies have shown it to be closely related – and the Algarvia of the Algarve region to the south.^[4]: 182

In the twentieth century it became gravely endangered; in 1994 a conservation programme was initiated in the Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina.^[4]: 182 A herd-book was established in the same year;^[5]: 47 since 2000 this has been held by the Associação de Agricultores do Campo Branco.^[6][7]

In the twenty-first century it is distributed principally in the concelhos of Almodôvar, Barrancos, Castro Verde, Odemira and Ourique, and the former concelho of Vila Nova de Sao Bento (now part of Serpa), all in Beja District; the former concelho of Alcáçovas – now part of Viana do Alentejo – in Evora District; and the concelho of Santiago do Cacém in Setúbal District.^[8]: 31

Characteristics

The coat is normally dark red or brown in colour. The head and neck are normally very dark. The horns are typically developed, based on head-back and down, then up to frentee.