▁co anc est ry ▁with ▁the ▁Ng uni ▁and ▁D rak ens berger ▁bre eds . ▁They ▁most ▁likely ▁diver ged ▁ 6 5 5 – 9 6 0 ▁years ▁ago . ▁A ne cdot al ▁evidence ▁from ▁Portuguese ▁sail ors ▁suggest ▁that ▁her ds ▁of ▁Af rik an er - like ▁cattle ▁had ▁been ▁kept ▁by ▁the ▁K ho ik ho i ▁since ▁at ▁least ▁the ▁ 1 5 th ▁Century . ▁ ▁The ▁bre ed ▁almost ▁became ▁ext inct ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁ 2 0 th ▁century ▁during ▁the ▁Second ▁Bo er ▁War , ▁their ▁numbers ▁de ple ted ▁through ▁destruction ▁and ▁due ▁to ▁an ▁out break ▁of ▁R inder p est ▁that ▁hal ved ▁the ▁country ' s ▁total ▁cattle ▁population . ▁After ▁the ▁war , ▁programs ▁were ▁put ▁in ▁place ▁to ▁improve ▁the ▁bre ed . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 1 2 , ▁the ▁first ▁Af rik an er ▁stud book ▁was ▁formed ▁in ▁South ▁Africa ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁control ▁the ▁bre ed ' s ▁development . ▁However , ▁due ▁to ▁the ▁recently ▁de ple ted ▁numbers ▁of ▁Af rik an er ▁cattle , ▁a ▁high ▁degree ▁of ▁in bre eding ▁occurred ▁at ▁this ▁time . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 2 3 , ▁it ▁was ▁proposed ▁that ▁Af rik an ers ▁be ▁sent ▁to ▁the ▁United ▁States , ▁and ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 2 ▁the ▁US ▁government ▁imported ▁a ▁her d ▁to ▁introduce ▁new ▁blood ▁to ▁the ▁G ulf ▁Coast . ▁In ▁ 1 9 2