GENERAL
  The Savanna Goat should be a strong virile functionally efficient goat with a lively but not wild carriage.
  The ewes must be of medium size but should appear refined and feminine. Ewes with lambs at foot should have good mothering ability and should aggressively defend their lambs against dogs and other predators.
  Rams must be masculine, proud, robust and well muscled.
  Savanna Goat was developed under very unfavorable environmental conditions and must be able too easily endure unfavorable conditions such as heat, intense sunshine, cold and rain. The breed moves easily and can if necessary travel long distances in search of fodder and water.
  The Savanna Goat should also be able to utilize a wide range of plants such as trees, shrubs and small as well as big bushes which are hard and even unpalatible to other farm animals.
  The Savanna Goat must have a long breeding season and be sexually active and be able to breed any time of the year.
CHARACTERISTIC BREED TRAITS
  Lively appearance.
  Symmetrical confirmation, with legs and body not too long or too short.
  Short kempy white hair. During the winter months the goats develop extra fluffy cashmere hair for protection.
  The goats have strong jaws and strong long lasting well developed teeth.
  Long production life.
HEAD
  The Savanna Goat has a fairly long slightly curved head and the head has the shape of a big-mouth Yellow-fish. The head and nose must be fairly broad and not sharp. The mouth must be reasonable wide with well muscled jaws. The upper and lower lips must be well muscled and mobile like that of a Kudu.
  The teeth of young as well as mature goats in the case of rams as well as ewes must bite solidly and correctly on the dental pads of the upper jaws. No jaw or mouth faults will be tolerated.
  The eyes must be level and surrounded by black pigmented eyelids and skin and must be protected by well developed eyebrow ridges.
  The ears must be fairly big, of oval shape and hang down next to the head. The ears must be well pigmented and mobile in order to protect the goat against midges (muggies), ticks, gadflies and other insect pests.
  The horns of the white Savanna Goat are dark black and grow backwards from the crown of tthe head. The horns should not grow wild or be too long. Rams have slightly stronger heavier horns than ewes. At the base there should be reasonable width between the horns. Brown and roan (Skilder) Goats and Mouse Ear Savannas must have brown pigmentation. Ewes as well as rams must be able to use their horns to protect themselves as well as their kids.
NECK, FOREQUARTER, LEGS AND HOOVES
  The neck is well muscled and reasonably long so that the goat can easily reach as high as possible to browse on branches and pods of various types of thorn trees.
  The forequarter is well muscled and of medium width, there will be strong discrimination against a narrow or very wide forequarter. The front legs are well placed and straight. The cannon bone of both the front and hind legs should be short and strong. The pasterns of the front and hind legs must be strong and springy and must be slightly sloping. Against straight or weak pasterns will be strongly discriminated.
  Hooves of both front and hind legs must be strong, hard, black and reasonably big. The two sections of eack hoof must be close to each other.
  The hooves should not be overgrown and the hooves of Savanna Goats must not easily become sore and develop foot rot.
  Thascapulas or shoulder-blades must be strongly attached to the forequarter and withers. The processes spinosus and withers should be some what higher than the back and rump. In the case of older rams medium sized skin folds are found on the forequarter.
BACK AND CENTRE PIECE
  The centre piece should be reasonable long and deep on the goat and must possess enough capacity to eat sufficient roughage and to convert it into meat and energy. The back and eye muscles (muscles longissimus dorsi) must be strong and wide and not straight but should also not be weak. The centre piece of older animals must not be cylindrical or lack depth.
HINDQUARTERS AND HIND LEGS
  The hindquarters should be wide and the hind legs must be well apart and straight. The rump must show a reasonable slope just like that of the gemstock (Oryx Gazella).
  Hindquarters must be well muscled and carry a lot of meat.
  The hooks must be strong and muscular and the tendons of the hooks must be prominemt and easily seen. The hooks should not turn in or out and the goat must be able to stand easily on it's hind legs.
  The tail of the Savanna Goat must be straight up and be well covered with hair and should be very mobile. The bare skin of the tail should also have black pigmentation.
COLOUR PIGMENTATION AND HAIR
  The White Savanna Goat is a totally white goat with black skin, horns, noise, udder, sexual organs and hooves. This colour resembles that of royal Nquni cattle. A limited amount of red, blue or black hair is allowed.
  The covering consists of short white kempy hair. Fine fibres, also known as cashmere, to protect goats against extremely low temperatures are produced by these goats during winter months.
  Brown goats, Roan goats and Mouse-ear goats can also be classified as indigenous Savanna Goats.
SEXUAL ORGANS
  Sexual organs should be normal and well developed. In the case of the ram two sound normal testicles in a short scrotum should be present. The scrotum should not be excessively divided. A ewe should have a well developed, but not too big black pigmented udder with two teats. Four separate teats are also acceptable.
REPRODUCTION AND GROWTH RATE
  The Savanna Goats have very good reproductive and fertility. Ewes have very good mothering traits and are very protective as far as their kids are concerned.
  About twenty two percent twins and triplets are born under extensive conditions, and ewes should be able to rear their kids without excessive aid and nutrition. Ewes including stud ewes should be able to kid in the veld and also rear their kids in the veld.
  Against difficult parturition excessively aid kids will be discriminated. Savanna Goats should always be easy care animals.
CULL FAULTS
  Abnormal mouths and jaws.
  Over developed lower jaws.
  Faulty legs and hooves.
  Slack pasterns
  Faulty sexual organs and udders.
  Any deviations from normal confirmation which could influence Savanna Goat furctional efficiency.
  Incomplete or too light pigmentation.
  Bunch (more than two) teats on each side.
  Excessively or abnormally large or small goat.