AUTOCHTHONAL SHEEP BREEDS IN CROATIA

Sheep in Croatia are bred for centuries. During the past, especially in certain regions (Dalmatia, Dalmatian Zagora, Lika), the sheep was, besides farming and fishery, a basis for living. It provided everything a family needed (meat\u27 milk, wool), while by exchanging sheep and their products a family could have got salt, sugar, oil, flour, petroleum, etc. However, sheep today, in this region, are less and less of economical significance. According to the latest data, the number of sheep in Croatia is around 525 000, what is 30% less when comparing to 1991 (before the war), when that number was 750 000. The most common breeds are Pramenka and a group of autochthonal sheep connected to the Adriatic coast and islands. In this review, described are Paška, Creska, Dubrovačka and Istarska sheep