În sudul județului Caraș-Șeverin, se găsește o rasă unică de oi in România– Oaia Rațca

In the south of Caraș-Șeverin County, there is a unique breed of sheep in Romania – the Rațca Sheep When they were still organized, at almost all animal exhibitions and fairs, the Rațca sheep attracted visitors like a magnet. The beauty and the way this sheep looks, aroused the curiosity and admiration of visitors. The Rațca sheep attracts all eyes due to its very long, straight and spiral-shaped horns. In addition, it is of particular beauty due to the specific color of the head, the face, to be exact. The Rațca is a special breed, with two varieties. The first variant is with white wool and a brown head, and the other is with white and black wool. The rams have horns over half a meter long, and the ewe lambs have them slightly shorter. Romanian professional shepherds do not like it precisely because of the long, spiky horns that make it difficult to handle and milk. Those who have such sheep, about 4 breeders in the entire Banat, love the breed and are stubborn not to give it up. Even at the present time, it is not known. There are two versions. One, that the breed was brought by migratory peoples from Mongolia, and another assumes that it comes from Egypt and was brought by the armies of Julius Caesar. The breed is most sensitive during rain and at low temperatures, Raţca sheep go into shelter, while Ţurcana remain outside, which indicates a greater sensitivity of these sheep to the cold. It has been reported that milking begins in April and ends in mid-October, lasting even after the mating season (September 1-30). Due to the small herd, between 2,000 and 3,000 specimens, it was assimilated as a variety of the Ţurcană breed. These sheep are raised primarily for milk, producing, under extensive breeding conditions, 60-80 liters of milk/year, which corresponds to 15 kg of cheese. Milk production is also favored due to a longer lactation, as a consequence of the warmer climate of the area, says Prof. Univ. Dr Ioan Pădeanu from USAMVB Timişoara. Wool production is 1.8 kg. Lamb meat is particularly appreciated. Milking begins in April and ends in October, lasting even after mating. Without financial support, these sheep risk disappearing in the next 20-30 years, with the extinction of the current generation of purebred breeders, many of whom no longer have heirs to continue their work, concludes Prof. Pădeanu. The Raţca is a sedentary sheep, unfit for transhumance and even for keeping in large flocks. It is not adapted to wintering in open fields and even to staying in the rain. It has been observed that the Raţca breed sheep take shelter much faster than the Ţurcană breed in unfavorable weather conditions. The breed is also raised in small flocks in Hungary, Serbia, Albania and, occasionally, in other Balkan countries. The Raţcca breed sheep can be seen more easily at the Great Fair in Răcășdia, both in the spring and autumn editions.   Distribution. In Romania, Raţca sheep are raised only in the farms of breeders in the Dognecei Mountains area, located in the southwestern extremity of the country, near the border with Serbia. The Dognecei Mountains are basically an area of ​​high, rugged hills, around which old Romanian villages are located, and herds of Raţca sheep have been identified in five of them: Biniş, Doclin, Brezon, Forotic and Comorâşte. Purebred animals are found in large numbers in Forotic, where breeders from other villages buy their rams. It is certain that for the inhabitants of these villages, raising Raţca sheep was a traditional occupation inherited from father to son, from ancient times, which they did not give up even when pressure was put on them, between 1950-1989, to introduce other breeds. The number of purebred sheep is decreasing. According to current estimates, there are about 4,000 sheep left in the five villages, of which only 500 are purebred.