Nelore

The first pair of Ongole Cattle arrived in Brazil by ship in 1868, at Salvador, Bahia.

In the first decades of twentieth century, the favored breed of zebu in Brazil was the Indubrasil or Indo-Brazilian, but from the 1960s onwards, Nelore became the primary breed of cattle in Brazil because of its hardiness, heat-resistance, and because it thrives on poor-quality forage and breeds easily, with the calves rarely requiring human intervention to survive.

Bulls of this breed have been exported to many other countries in the Western Hemisphere, such as United States and Venezuela in the last decades.

The vast majority of Nelores created today comes from lineages that entered Brazil from India in the 1950s and 60's.

These lineages are: Karvardi, Taj Mahal, Golias, Godhavari, Rastan, Akasamu and Padhu(4).