Telemark cattle

Telemark cattle or Telemark cow is an old Norwegian breed of cow.

Characteristics
Telemark cattle are red, with a white colour on the back in the shape of a cross. Sometimes, cows are also white on the underside. The face is usually mixed in colour. Most Telemark colour have horns. The Telemark is primarily a milking breed, and does not grow very large. Animals do not usually weigh more than 500 kg.

History
Telemark cattle were defined as a breed in 1865. The driving force behind the work was the state agronomist Johan Lindeqvist, originally from Sweden. After the war, Norwegian red cattle were introduced into Norway. Traditional cow breeds then suffered a major drop off in numbers. In the 1980s, there were steps put into place to protect rare breeds. In 2006, there were 400 animals of this breed in Norway.