Family: Bovidae

Weight: Adult animal weights in traditional breeding: males, 350 to 500 kg; females, 250 to 300 kg; in breeding stations, the weights can be much greater (526± 50 kg) at the Toukounous experimental station.

131 cm

Coat: Coat color: red —fawn, mahogany for animals selected at the Toukounous station. In traditional breeding we encounter white, gray and even black Azawak;

Special feature: The name Azawak comes from the region where these animals come from (Niger-Mali border). Azawak means sandy terrain in Tamajeq, walker with the following characteristics:

• Carcass yield at slaughter: 48 to 52%

• Birth weight: calves, 23.47 ± 0.25; calves, 22.1 ± 0.22 kg;

• Milk production: 800 to 1,100 kg for a period of 270 to 300 days of lactation

• Calving interval: 11 months;

• Age at first calving: 35 to 40 months;

The Azawak is a good walking animal

Distribution: This bovine breed, distributed throughout the national territory, is the largest with a population varying between 33% (INRAN, 1996) and 65% (CMS/MDR, 1985; Zangui, 1986) of cattle. The Azawak breed is also found in Nigeria, Benin, Mali, Mali, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad and even in the Central African Republic following the movements of herders after the droughts of 1972/73 and 1984-1985.