Pantaneiros Taking Cattle to Water
It is so dry during the Pantanal winter that the cowboys or pantaneiros have to move their herds to water. The ranchers create man made water holes to contain enough water to get through the dry season. The cows, , originally from India, are Nelore and are adapted to the dry hard country. They look very skinny and small but that is an adaptation that helps them survive the climate. The fazendas keep a few Holstein type cows for milk and cheese. The Pantanieros themselves still project the romance of our Wild West cowboys.