Zel

Zel is an Iranian thin-tailed sheep from Mazandaran on the humid Caspian side of northern Iran. Also known as Mazandarani or Persian thin-tailed in some references, it differs from the many fat-tailed Iranian breeds. Zel sheep are kept for meat and milk with carpet-type wool, and their home region includes lowland, forest, and mountain influences rather than the hot dry interior usually associated with Iranian sheep.

Management should protect the traits that make Zel useful: adaptation to humid conditions, thin-tail conformation, fertility, and local feed efficiency. Flocks may need strong parasite and foot care because damp climates bring different pressures than deserts. Wool is practical rather than fine, while milk and meat remain central to household and regional production. Buyers should distinguish Zel from similarly named or neighboring Iranian breeds and confirm true Mazandaran-linked ancestry.