Senegal's Ladoum sheep catches on as Eid-al-Adha approaches

The Ladoum sheep, known as the "king of sheep" in Senegal, has started to catch on again as Eid-al-Adha approaches.

Ladoum, which is a hybrid of two species called "toubaire" from Mauritania and "balibali" from Mali, is considered more than a sheep by the Senegalese.

The price of the ladoum varies according to many criteria such as size, weight, age, shape of its horns, and can range from 3 to 70 thousand dollars. It is considered a mark of prestige in West Africa.

According to Abou Kane, the famous ladoum mwerchant from Senegal;

"The ladoum is popular because it is the best breed, one of the best breeds in the world. It is a large and beautiful animal, because of its characteristics: the big head with the muzzle, the dewlap, the symmetrical curled horns. The correlation of all this gives us an exceptional weight, the ladoum exceeds 180 kg. This breed is rare and highly prized, and anything that is rare in the world is expensive, which is why you can find a ladoum at $60,000."

Unlike other sheeps and rams, ladoums are not fed in sacrificial markets, but in specially equipped comfortable roo msand each is given a special name. Ladoums are used for breeding purposes to beautify other breeds rather than for slaughter.

"In Senegal, breeding is a cultural matter. First there is religion, 95% of the population is Muslim. There is the Eid festival with the sacrifice of the sheep, the way this event is celebrated: the number of sheep that are slaughtered, you can see a family of 10 people where 10 sheep are slaughtered. What is done in Senegal in terms of sacrificing sheep for Eid does not exist anywhere else in the world."  Abou Kane added.

Various competitions are held in almost all parts of the country to choose the most beautiful ladoum.

Even the pedigree is registered, the ladoum is so popular in Senegal that some even have their own Facebook page.