Background

As explained in Case Study 3, ILRI decided in 1990 to investigate the degree of resistance exhibited by this Red Maasai breed and initiated a study at Diani Estate of the Baobab Farms, 20 km south of Mombasa in the sub-humid coastal region of Kenya. To do so, a susceptible breed, the Dorper, originally from South Africa, was chosen to provide a direct comparison with the Red Maasai. The Dorper breed was developed in South Africa in the 1940s by interbreeding the Dorset Horn and Black Head Persian breeds. The Dorper is particularly well adapted to harsh, arid conditions and was imported into Kenya in the 1960s. This breed is also larger than the Red Maasai, and this makes these sheep attractive to farmers.