Senegalese ladoum, a sheep "exempt" from Sacrifice

 

Produced by the intermediary of mixed local species, the ladoum is a variety "of luxury" which is not intended for consumption, and whose only advantage lies in its high market value, which can go up to the equivalent. of 25,000 USD.

"Ladoum is an improved breed obtained through a cross between azawad and toubabir [local species, editor's note]", explains Anadolu Adama Diouf, a sheep breeder for thirty years. "What appeals the most to the ladoum is the elegance it exudes and the harmony in form," notes Cheikh Seck, a great fan of purebred sheep.

Dissecting the characteristics that make the ladoum particular, Seck evokes "the curved head with a muzzle, the dewlap at the throat, the tail around 60 cm" without forgetting the height at the withers of the animal "up to 1 meter 10 in the male and 1 meter in the female. "

The aura of the ladoum is such today that all around this unusual sheep is developing a very lucrative business. "It's a form of investment," says Adama Diouf. With ladoum indeed, sheep farming, which was confined to rural areas, is strongly anchored in urban areas. Here, however, the activity is not intended to supply the market with meat, with the Tabaski officially scheduled for Friday in Senegal, but with prestige and signs of opulence.

This is obviously something to be excited about because a thoroughbred ladoum is indeed worth millions of CFA francs. "Between one and fifteen million for males [1,700 to 25,000 USD], up to two million [3,400 USD] for females," says Adama Diouf.

Metal carpenter, Momar Mbaye abandoned his profession to devote himself exclusively to his sheep. “Raising ladoums takes a lot of time and maintenance,” he advises. This prompted him to "voluntarily" stop working at the company. "The pen should be clean and the sheep well fed and washed regularly so they don't get sick," he said.

A point of view shared by Diouf who quotes "toxicomy and swelling of the udders" among other diseases that affect the ladoums.

“A fetus sells for 300,000 CFA francs (more than 500 USD) or even more. It's all about blood, ”said Gora Ndiaye. "However, such a transaction is prohibited by Islam," asserts Mohamed Sall, a breeder who says he never engages in such a practice.

“This is the reach that we buy. It can be a male, a female, twins or even a stillborn, "says Gora Ndiaye, who sees the act as" a random purchase ".

Pushing the business to its limit, some breeders even go so far as to price the mating of their parents. "Five kilos of maize and 25,000 CFA francs (around 50 usd) for a mating," said Matar Ciss adding that "the owner must make sure that his female is in heat so that the blow can be successful".

 A godsend for owners of thoroughbred parents but also for small breeders who want to improve the quality of their pens.