The status of north american captive herds of the banteng, Bos javanicus d'Alton

Abstract

The genetic purity of captive banteng herds has often been questioned because banteng have the ability to hybridize with domestic cattle breeds. An electrophoretic survey of North American captive herds of the Javanese banteng, Bos javanicus javanicus d'Alton, was carried out to determine if contamination could be detected. The animals examined represented descendants from five separate importations. Of the 21 loci examined, four proved to be informative. An analysis of these loci failed to indicate a single case of potential genetic contamination, although sample sizes were small. Bull color, which has been suggested as an indicator of genetic purity, was found to relate to the geographic origin of the banteng lineage. Since the North American herd is uncontaminated at the present time, great care should be taken to determine the suitability of new import animals.