
RARE BREEDS TRUST OF AUSTRALIA
powered by TidyHQCATTLE: Senepol
CATTLE: Senepol
Country of Origin
St. Croix Island, Virgin Islands, Caribbean
Australian Status
International Status
The breed is found in 17 nations with an estimated population size of 142,000.
Uses
Beef
Breed traits
The Senepol is a medium framed, polled, short haired breed of cattle with a gentle disposition. It is used primarily for beef, but has high milk production as well. It is heat tolerant and insect resistant. Accepted colours are red, black, and brown.
Adult cows weight between 550-650 kg, and bulls around 930kg; both are early breeders. The cows are known for their easy in calving.
History
The Senepol was developed in the island of St. Croix by crossing the N’Dama (Bos Taurus) a native of West Africa with the British Red Poll. Recent DNA testing has shown a small influence of the Zebu cattle as well.
In the mid-1800s Mr. George Elliot imported some N’Dama into St. Croix. As St. Croix has a tropical climate, he hoped the cattle would be more suited to the island’s climate. In the early 1900 century, Mr. Bromley Nelthropp imported a Red Poll bull to put over the N’Dama herd to increase milk production. With the addition of more Red Poll bulls, this cross formed the basis of the Senepol breed going forward.
The name Senepol was adopted in 1954 and the breed registry was established by the late 1960s.
History in Australia
The first Senepol genetics came into Australia via semen in 1996. To widen the gene pool, in the late 1990s embryos were imported from Georgia, USA and St. Croix, as well as three bulls from the States.
Breed Organisation
The Australian Senepol Cattle Breeders Association
Australian Population
2022: Males: 14; Females: 180; Herds: 10
Page by Carol Wormald, June 2025
References
https://www.senepol.com.au/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senepol
https://dadis-transboundary-breed-ws.web.app/?species=Cattle&transboundary