Production Traits of Tsigai Sheep in Slovakia

The Tsigai belongs to a group of sheep breeds raised in many countries. Despite its considerable popularity, the origin of this breed has not yet been fully elucidated. The name “Tsigai” was first mentioned in the literature in 1781, when Sulzer (cited by Ogrizek, 1948) [19] reported that the indigenous Tsigai sheep was raised in Dacia and Transylvania and was valued for its high-quality, short wool. Some authors, including Ditescu and Kuleshov (cited by Ogrizek, 1948) [19], have suggested that the Tsigai originated in Asia Minor. Based on analyses of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences, Hiendleder et al. (2002, cited by Straka, 2022 [23]) concluded that domestic sheep originated from two mouflon subspecies, supporting the hypothesis of a polyphyletic origin of domestic sheep.

Based on the results of contemporary genetic analyses, Charlotte et al. (2022) demonstrated that the domestic sheep (Ovis aries) originated from the Asian mouflon (Ovis gmelini), from which the argali and other mouflon lineages also descended.