| has gloss | eng: Shetland cattle are a small, hardy cattle breed from the Shetland Isles off the north coast of Scotland. Shetland cattle possess their characteristic genetic qualities of thriftiness, productivity and hardiness, through adaptation and survival in one of the United Kingdom's most rigorous environments. The history of the Shetland Isles is peppered with instances of famine when only the most robust of inhabitants, both human and animal, survived. Historical documents tell of weak cows needed to be held up in slings in the byres through the winter. The crofters “kye” (Shetland dialect) was a lifeline for these subsistence farmers. |
