Canada: ALBERTA: The Cattalo

Canadian cattlemen wanted a new breed of cattle. They wanted a breed that could withstand the sub-zero winters and swirling blizzards of the western provinces. In a storm, cattle huddled with their hindquarters facing the wind, and often smothered in the thick snow. When recumbent cows and steers tried to get up, they instinctively tried to raise their hindquarters first. Often they fell on their faces, starved to death.

Cattlemen observed the habits of the buffalo. It faced the storm; it got up head first. Why not crossbreed buffalo and domestic cattle? The Dominion Experimental Farm at Wainwright, Alta. tried...