Orobica

This article is about a goat breed from the Italian Alpi Orobie region. For the former Italian Army brigade, see Alpine Brigade Orobica.

Orobica

Conservation status	FAO (2007): not at risk[1]
Other names	Valgerola
Country of origin	Italy
Distribution	Province of Sondrio Province of Bergamo Province of Como Province of Lecco
Standard	MIPAAF (LG) MIPAAF (RA)
Use	milk
Traits
Weight	Male: 80 kg[2] Female: 65 kg[2]
Height	Male: 79 cm[2] Female: 73 cm[2]
Horn status	rams always horned, females occasionally hornless
Goat Capra aegagrus hircus

The Orobica or Valgerola is a breed of domestic goat from the Val Gerola in the province of Sondrio, in the Bergamo Alps of northern Italy. It is raised in the Val Gerola and the Valchiavenna in the province of Sondrio, in the Alto Lario Occidentale, the Valsassina and the Val Varrone in the province of Como, and in the upper Val Brembana in the Province of Bergamo.^[3] The origins of the breed are unknown; it is first documented at the beginning of the twentieth century.^[2] The Orobica is one of the eight autochthonous Italian goat breeds for which a genealogical herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.^[4][5] Ogni anno, la terz domenica di novembre a Casargo (LC) si tiene un'importante mostra Regionale della Capra Orobica

At the end of 2013 the registered population was 1109.^[6]

Characteristics

The Orobica goat is of medium size; males weigh on average 80 kg, females about 65 kg. Both sexes have long horns and erect ears. The coat is lustrous, composed of fine long hair, with a colour varying from uniform ash-grey to violet-beige.

The Valgerola

For reasons that are not clear, the Valgerola, while always described as a synonym of the Orobica, is separately reported to DAD-IS,^[7] and is included in the list of goat breeds of limited distribution of the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture.^[5] Numbers are reported by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, but no data has ever been entered.^[8] There are two official breed standards, one for the "Razza Orobica"^[9] and the other for the "Orobica o Valgerola".^[10]

References

1. Barbara Rischkowsky, D. Pilling (eds.) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Accessed June 2014.
2. Daniele Bigi, Alessio Zanon (2008). Atlante delle razze autoctone: Bovini, equini, ovicaprini, suini allevati in Italia (in Italian). Milan: Edagricole. ISBN 9788850652594. p. 379–81.
3. Breed data sheet: Orobica o Valgerola/Italy. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed June 2014.
4. Le razze ovine e caprine in Italia (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia: Ufficio centrale libri genealogici e registri anagrafici razze ovine e caprine. p. 34. Accessed June 2014.
5. Strutture Zootecniche (Dec. 2009/712/CE - Allegato 2 - Capitolo 2) (in Italian). Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali. Section I (e). Archived 4 May 2014.
6. Consistenze Provinciali della Razza 94 Orobica Anno 2013 (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia: Banca dati. Accessed June 2014.
7. Breed data sheet: Valgerola/Italy. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed June 2014.
8. Consistenze Provinciali della Razza N8 Valgerola Anno 2013 (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia: Banca dati. Accessed November 2014.
9. Razza Orobica: Norme tecniche allegate al Disciplinare del Libro Genealogico della Specie Caprina (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia. Accessed November 2014.
10. Norme tecniche della popolazione caprina "Orobica o Valgerola": standard della razza (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia. Accessed November 2014.