Indigo the Randall Lineback was brought to the Miller Park Zoo in November. (Photo courtesy Miller Park Zoo)

By Adam Studzinski

BLOOMINGTON – The Miller Park Zoo has added a rare form of cattle to its ranks.

A one-year-old female Randall Lineback named Indigo arrived at the zoo in November from a private breeder in Ohio. Zoo superintendent Jay Tetzloff said he's been searching for one of these animals for nine years.

"That goes back to even my last institution, I was trying to find a breeder that would be willing to give up a female Randall Linebacker," said Tetzloff. "They're that rare and hard to get."

There are less than 400 Randall Linebacks left in the world.

"Our hopes is that when she gets older we will do artificial insemination and have a calf probably every other year," Tetzloff said.

Tetzloff says Randall Linebacks are a type of cattle commonly known as a "heritage breed."

"They have not gone into mainstream agriculture like an angus might have," said Tetzloff. "These guys are usually a dual purpose breed. So instead of a lot of cattle you see now-a-days, they're either beef or dairy – they're not both – these guys were bred to be both."

Indigo will be located near the reindeer and Children's Zoo.

Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].