The Scottish rustic breed known as the Highland cattle is prolific across Canada, used by both hobbyists and professionals worldwide. The ability of the breed to withstand the cold is remarkable. Today, you can find Scottish Highland meat all over farmer’s markets as, along with their remarkably nutritious meat, they are found easy to breed and intelligent to work with, are great mothers, and deal easily with Canadian winters.
Farmers never stop singing praises about the breed – but many do not know its history, nor how it managed to find itself in Canada from the Scottish Highlands.
Archaeological evidence suggests that the Highland breed populated the rugged and chilling Scottish Highlands since the sixth century, with records existing from the twelfth century onwards. Before that, researchers disagree on its ancestry. Some suggest that the Scottish Highland originated in the even colder environment of Scandinavia and that Vikings brought the animal during their invasions. This theory is still considered speculation, however, given the resilience of the breed in cold temperatures, it is not outside of the realm of possibility.
This theory was proposed by Michael Fennell, who continues in his theory in believing that Highland Cattle are a hybrid of two Asiatic breeds existing since even earlier – the Bos Longifrons and the Bos Primigenius.” The physical makeup of these two breeds – long horns from the Longifrons and thick fur from the Primigenius give the theory some weight. Fenell believes that the Highland breed emerged from these two and found themselves in the Baltic nearly 6000 years ago, where they were then picked up by early Scandinavians and brought to the Highlands.
Whether a founded theory or not, the Highland Cattle from then on became an integral facet of agriculture for the Scottish Highlands. Through natural selection, the breed became an incredibly resilient addition to growing populations looking to develop more unforgiving parts of the country. They are considered to be so valued that even today, breeders carefully retain all the original characteristics of the cattle for traditional and practical purposes.
During this time, there were two distinct varieties of Highland Cattle. The Kyloe, or West Highlands, were smaller and populated the islands on the west coast of Northern Scotland. This breed was black or brindle, and its size was most likely due to the even more unforgiving climate and limited food supply. Its island population also meant that it was physically separated from the red Highland population, which meant it could have been more subject to genetic diversity.
The other, known as the Highlander, was redder and looked more recognizable as the commonly associated image of the breed, which populated the main Highlands. These two varieties are considered one breed and one species today.
In 1884, the Highland breed was propelled into an established spotlight through the founding of the Highland Cattle Society of Scotland. The officiating of the breed helped cement its otherwise difficult-to-trace heritage. Over time, Highland societies have cropped up across the world in the USA, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and of course Canada.
The 1880s is also when the Highland cattle first graced the shores of Canada. Hon. Donald A. Smith of Winnipeg imported one bull, as did Robert Campbell of Manitoba. The need for the breed was clear – the herds currently established were not as well equipped to survive the harsh winters, and cattlemen needed to introduce genes that would help them.
The breed continued to see more and more imports into the 1900s and by the 1920s, the breed was becoming well established in the Great White North. The scale began to increase by the 1950s until importing and exporting of Cattle became a regular occurrence. In 1964, the Canadian branch of the Highland Cattle Society was established, and the Highland Breed found a permanent devoted home in many regions of the country.
