Indian Cow Breeds getting extinct
Get yourself introduced to Indian cow breeds and their unique features / characteristics:
Amritmahal is also known as “Doddadana”, “Jawari Dana” and “Number Dana”. “Amrit” means milk and “Mahal” means house. These cattles are found in Chikmagalur, Chitradurga, Hassan, Shimoga, Tumkur and Davanagere districts of Karnataka. This breed is usually Grey in colour but the colour varies from white to almost black. White grey markings are present on face and dewlap in some animals. Dark shades on neck, shoulder, hump and hindquarters. The bulls are very strong and it is said that during the era of Tipu Sultan, they pulled the cannons 35 miles within one day.Even the British commander Arthur Wellesly got amazed seeing this. After this, he took 35,000 bulls with him to make them pull their cannons. History says that the Mysore’s king also did the same thing. This is a famous draught breed known for its power and endurance and animals are fiery and active. But the Cows are very poor milkers. Average milk yield per lactation is 572 kg.
Bargur is a draught cattle breed
found around Bargur hills in Bhavani taluk of Erode district of Tamil Nadu. They
are one of the breeds of Mysore. But their heights are short as compared to the
other Mysore breeds. They are brown in colour with white markings over
the body. Horns are light brown in colour and emerge closer at the root and are
inclined backward, outward and upward with a forward curve, which is sharp at
the tip. The bulls are generally very ferocious and they are very
hard to control. But when it comes to work, this breed becomes very active and
they can also run well. They are used to carry out agricultural operations in
hilly terrain and are also well known for their trotting ability. The cows
are poor milkers. The average milk yield per lactation is 350 kg and ranges from 250-1300 kg.
These breeds are originated in the hilly tracts of Dangs comprising the Nasik and Ahmednagar
district in the state of Maharashtra.
They are also known as “Kandadi”.
The animals are adapted to heavy rainfall conditions. The skin exudes an oily
secretion, which protects them from heavy rain. Dangi cattle have distinct white coat colour
with red or black spots distributed unevenly over the body. Horns are short and
thick with lateral pointing tips. Their height varies from 2.5 to 3 ft. The
head is usually small with a slightly protruding forehead. The cows are
average milker and the bulls can work hard even in heavy rains. They are used
for ploughing the fields in hilly areas.
The
Gangatiri cattle breed is an important dual-purpose cattle
breed. It is an indigenous breed of cattle
from India which is raised for milk production and also for draught purposes.
The breed is known to be originated in the region along the banks of Ganga
river in the eastern Uttar Pradesh and western parts of Bihar state. It is a
very important dual-purpose breed of cattle of North India. Gangatiri
cattle are very beautiful animals with complete white or grey color. Both cows
and bulls have horns. And their horns are medium in size and emerge from side
of the poll behind and above eyes in outward and curving upwards and inwards
ending with pointed tips. They have prominent forehead which is straight and broad
with shallow groove in the middle. The color of the hooves, muzzle and eyelids
are generally black. Average body height of the mature bulls is about 142 cm at
the withers, and about 124 cm for the cows. The Gangatiri cattle are dual
purpose animals. They are raised for both milk production and for draught
purposes.
The Gaolao cattle are a domestic breed of cattle
native to India. It is a dual-purpose breed and belongs to the subspecies Bos
indicus. It is raised mainly as a dairy cattle breed and also used as a draught
animal. The breed originated in the western and middle region consisting of
Wardha district in Maharashtra, Balaghat and Chindwara districts in Madhya
Pradesh and Rajnadgaon district in Chhattisgarh state. It is also known
as Arvi and Gaulgani in some areas. Gaolao animals are of medium height, or rather
light build and tend to be narrow and long. The head is markedly long and
narrow with a straight profile usually tapering towards the muzzle and somewhat
broader at the base of the horns. The forehead is usually flat, though it
appears to recede at the top, giving a slightly convex appearance. The eyes are
almond-shaped and placed slightly at angles. The ears are of medium size and
are carried high. The horns are short and stumpy, blunt at the points and
commonly slope slightly backwards.
Their neck is short, with a moderately well-developed hump, which is usually loose and hangs on one side. The hind quarters are slightly drooping. Limbs are straight and muscular. Hooves are of medium size, hard and durable, and suited to hard road and hillside work. The dewlap is large but the sheath is only moderately developed. The skin is thin but loose. The tail is comparatively short, reaching only a little below the hocks. Females are usually white and males gray over the neck, hump and quarters.
Their neck is short, with a moderately well-developed hump, which is usually loose and hangs on one side. The hind quarters are slightly drooping. Limbs are straight and muscular. Hooves are of medium size, hard and durable, and suited to hard road and hillside work. The dewlap is large but the sheath is only moderately developed. The skin is thin but loose. The tail is comparatively short, reaching only a little below the hocks. Females are usually white and males gray over the neck, hump and quarters.
Gaolao cattle are dual-purpose animals. They are
raised for both milk production and also for draught purposes.
Ghumusari breed of cattle is also
known as “Deshi”. Breeding tract includes western part of Ganjam district and
adjoining areas of Phulbani district of Odisha. It is chiefly a draught cattle
breed, but few animals are maintained for milk, manure and fuel. The
draughtability of bullocks is considered superior than other breeds of bullocks
in the native tract. The animals are small sized and strong in built. They are
chiefly white in color, but sometimes shades of grey are also visible. The
horns are medium sized, mostly curved upward and inward, but some animals
having straight horns as well. The animals of this breed have a small head with
flat, broad forehead, depressed in between the eyes. The animals are maintained
in semi-intensive management system, and rarely fed any concentrate.
The Gir is a famous milk cattle breed of India. The native
tract of the breed is Gir hills and forests of Kathiawar including Junagadh,
Bhavnagar, Rajkot and Amreli districts of Gujarat. This breed is also known as
Bhodali, Desan, Gujarati, Kathiawari, Sorthi and Surti in different parts of
the breeding tract. The Gir animals are famous for their tolerance to stress
conditions and resistance to various tropical diseases. Bullocks of this breed
are used to drag heavy loads on all kinds of soil. Brazil, Mexico, USA and
Venezuela have imported these animals where they are being bred successfully.
These animals contribute significantly to the total milk production of Gujarat
State.
They can be of various colours such as White, red and brown.
The bullocks also look as good as the cows. They are very hardworking and help
the farmers in harvesting crops by pulling heavy bullock carts. The bullocks
can be of short height but the works done by them are very helpful and
important for the farmers. Gir are very friendly in nature and they get close
to other animals very quickly. Gir can survive in any environmental condition.
For this reason, sometimes they are also found in other states of India.
The Hallikar cattle are a Bos indicus breed of
cattle selected primarily for draft purposes. It is native to the state of
Karnataka, India. It is considered one of the premier draft cattle breed in India. The breed is often
raised by the families who have specialized in production of Hallikar draft
animals for hundreds of years. Currently the breed is more common in the
traditional Hallikar belt of Mysore, Mandya, Hassan and Tumkur districts of
South Karnataka. Hallikar cattle are smaller sized animals with moderate to
long height and medium size of the body. They are generally white to grey in
color and occasionally black complexions. There are white markings or irregular
patches around their eyes, cheeks, neck or in the shoulder region are also
found. Both bulls and cows have horns. And their horns are long, vertical and
backward bending. The bulls have large humps, while the cows have relatively
small humps than the bulls. Young breeding Hallikar bulls have dark shade on
shoulder and hindquarters. Hallikar cattle are mainly used as a draft animal.
It is considered as one of the premier draft cattle breeds in India. The cows
are average milkers. Hallikar cattle are mainly used as a draft animal. It is
considered as one of the premier draft cattle breeds in India. The cows are
average milkers.
Their name comes from the state
from where they belong i.e Haryana. It
is the native of Rohtak, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Jind ,Hissar , and Gurgaon districts in the state of Haryana. The cattle are of medium to large size and
are generally of white to gray shades in color. Their horns are short
and the face is narrow and long. The cows are fairly good milk
yielders for which they are also exported to other places like Kolkata.
The Hariana cattles are able to produce milk for 7-8 months and after that they
are sent to the slaughterhouses for meat production. In this way the number of
these cows are gradually reducing. The bulls are good at work and they can run
very fast which helps in pulling the bullock carts. Inspite of their
usefulness, these cows are being cruely slaughtered by the humans.
The
Kangayam cattle are an indigenous breed of India. The breed derives it’s
name from the Kangeyam town located in the Tiruppur district of Tamil Nadu
state. It is mainly raised as a draught animal but also pretty good for milk
production. The breed conform largely to the Southern Indian Mysore type. And
it is thought that there is evidence of the blood of the grey-white Ongole cattle in their
composition. Currently they are available and bred in the southern and
southeastern area of the Coimbatore district of Madras state in India. In case
of size, the Kangayam cattle are of two type, one is small and another is
large. Their skin is dark in pigment and fine in texture, and the hair is short
and fine. The Kangayam cattle are mainly used as a draught cattle breed. The
cows are also pretty good milk producers and their milk is of good quality.
Their names are taken with respect throughout the state of
Gujrat. Kankrejs are tall in height and they also have large horns. The females
are good milkers and the males are used for harvesting crops. The bullocks can
pull heavy weights which is useful for harvesting more crops. Kankrejs are
found from Kutch to Surat district in Gujrat. In Radhanpur district, they are
known as ‘Wadad’.
The unique characteristics like
resistant to tick fever, heat stress, very little incidence of contagious
abortion and tuberculosis made Kankrej a very popular one among these
countries. Coat colour of the animal varies from silver grey to iron grey and steel
black. In males, forequarters, hindquarters, and hump are slightly darker than
the rest of the body. Bulls tend to get darker than cows and bullocks. The hump
in the males is well developed and not as firm as in other breeds. Forehead is
broad and slightly dished in the centre. Face is short and nose slightly
upturned. Unique characteristic of this breed is its large, pendulous
ears.
The
Kenkatha cattle are a draught breed of cattle native to India. It originated in
the Bundelkhand provinces in Uttar Pradesh state along the banks of river Ken
and Vindhyas hilly range in Madhya Pradesh. Kenkatha cattle are small
sized animals with compact build body and they exhibit different shades
of brown. Average body height of the animals at wither is about 103
cm. The Kenkatha cattle are mainly used as a draught animal. But they are also
pretty good for milk production for small family consumption.
Khariar is named after its native tract "Khariar" in
Nuapada district of Odisha. Breeding tract comprises Nuapada, Kalahandi and
Balangir districts of Odisha. Heavy concentration of animals of this breed is
found in Khariar, Komna, Sinapali and Boden blocks of Nuapada district. Coat
colour is mainly brown and sometimes grey. Horns are straight and often emerge
upward and inward. Animals of this breed are small sized and of strong
built. Hump, neck, and some regions of face and back are dark in colour. The
breed is used for draught purpose in its native tract, which is hilly and
undulated. The lactation milk yield ranges from 300 to 450 Kg with 4 to 5 %
Fat.
The Khillari cattle are a draught breed of cattle native to
Satara, Kolhapur and Sangli regions in Maharashtra and Bijapur, Dharwad and
Belgaum districts of Karnataka in India. The Khillari cattle breed has
many varieties. And the breed with it’s several varieties, possibly owes it’s
origin to the Hillikar cattle breed from Mysore state or from the Maharashtra
state. Name of the breed ‘Khillari’ came from ‘Khillar’ which means a herd of
cattle. And meaning of the word ‘Khillari’ is the herdsman. Mostly these
animals are basically from Satara district of south Maharashtra. And the
animals are also found in the neighboring districts of Sangli, Kolhapur and
Solapur of western Maharashtra. Khillari cattle are small sized animals.
They are usually compact and tight skinned with clean cut features and squarely
developed hindquarters. Their overall appearance is compact with stout strong
limbs. The pelvis of these animals is slightly higher than the shoulders. There
are four main types of the Khillari cattle in the different regions of
Maharashtra state. These varieties are Hanam
Khillar (sometimes known as Atpadi
Mahal), Mhaswad
Khillari, Tapi
Khillari or Thillari and the Nakali Khillari.
Kosali, the first breed of cattle from
Chhattisgarh, was registered as 36th breed. Characterization is essential to
guide decision-making in livestock development and breeding programmes. Hence,
a survey was carried out to characterize the Kosali breed of cattle in Central
Plain Region of Chhattisgarh state. The coat colour of most animals was red
followed by white and black. Mostly muzzles, tail switch, eyelashes, and hooves
were black in colour. Body size, hump, dewlap, naval flap, penis sheath flap, udder
and teats were small in size. Horns were stumpy, small and slightly inward and
ears were horizontal. The mean linear measurements of female vs male Kosali
cattle were height at wither, body length and chest girth Kosali cattle are
smaller in size and are well adapted to the existing agroclimatic conditions of
the region. Appropriate breeding strategies and conservation models should be
designed for overall improvement of this breed.
The Krishna Valley cattle are a domestic
breed of cattle native to the North Karnataka region in India. They are a
draught breed and mainly used for agricultural works purposes. The cows are
moderate milk producers and the bulls are known for their strength and
endurance. The breed is known to have originated in the areas drained by the Krishna,
Ghataprabha and Malaprabha rivers of the Bijapur, Bagalkot and Belgaum
districts. They were once very important breed of cattle, but their importance
lost due to limited use of draught power and choice of farmers for high milk
producing cattle breeds. Neck of the Krishna Valley cattle is short
and thick. And their dewlap is well-developed and pendulous. The sheath of the
animals is also slightly pendulous. They have small and pointed ears. Their
body is short but the barrel is large and well-developed. Legs of the animals
are short and thick and look powerful, but the hooves are said to be be soft.
Krishna Valley cattle are a dual-purpose breed of cattle. They are used for
both milk production and agricultural work purposes. The bulls are known for
their strength and edurance.
The
Red Kandhari cattle are an Indian breed of domestic cattle which are widely
used for draft purposes. It is locally known as Lal Kandhari because
of it’s almost universal deep red colored skin. The breed is mostly found in
Bidar (Karnataka), Latur, Parbhani, Nanded and Hingoli districts in
Maharashtra. The Red Kandhari cattle have medium sized and evenly curved
horns. They have broad forehead and their ears are long. The bulls have
moderated hump and moderated dewlap. They have shining eyes, and there are
black ring around their hoops. Average height of the bulls is about 138 cm at
wither, and around 128 cm for the cows. The Red Kandhari cattle are
widely used in India for draft purposes. They are mainly used for heavy
agricultural works such as ploughing and carting as well as for transportation.
Red sindhi cow breed originated from Pakistan. Karachi,
Lasbela and Hyderabad are the ancient living place of this cow. The color of
this breed is red and so that they are known as Red Sindhi. This cow breed can
be found in Pakistan, India, UK, Canada, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Africa
and some other country. Color of their body
is deep red.
Their umbilicus is very big and hanging.Forehead
become very wide.Ears are hanging to down.Their head is comparatively smaller
than their body.Udder is very big sized and well arranged.They have curved
horns. A red sindhi cow gives about 10 kg milk daily.Cow produce calf at the
age of 3 years for first time.Red sindhi bulls become very strong and hardy.Adult
bull weights about 350-400 kg and cow 400-500 kg.The annual milk production of
this cow is 3500 kg.When the calf born they weights about 22-25 kg.5% fat in
the milk of red sindhi cow.
The
Malnad Gidda cattle are a dwarf breed of cattle from India. It is also
called Malenadu Gidda, Gidda, Uradana and
Varshagandhi. The word Malnad means
hilly region and Gidda means
dwarf or small. The breed is native to the hilly, rainy and densely forested
Malenadu region of the Western Ghats in the state of Karnataka in India. It
plays a very important role in the rural economy of this region by providing
milk, manure and draft power with negligible inputs. The Malnad
Gidda cattle are small animals with predominant black coat color with light
shades of fawn on thigh and shoulder area. They have a small and compact body
frame. Both bolls and cows usually have horns, and their horns are generally
small in size, straight, outward, upward and inward. Their tail switch is black
in color. They have small hump and udder of the cows is small and bowl shaped Malnad
Gidda cattle are draught animals. They are also raised for milk production.
The Malvi cattle are a breed of zebu
cattle from the Malwa plateau in western Madhya Pradesh, in central India. It
also known as Manthani, Malavi or Mahadeopuri. The breed is mainly used as a
good draught breed and milk production of the cows is pretty low. Breeding
tract of the breed include Rajgarh, Ratlam, Shajapur and Ujjain districts of
Madhya Pradesh. The breed has developed into different strains such as
light, medium and heavy in size depending on soil conditions. The Malvi cattle
breed has been studied at the Government Cattle Breeding Farm at Agar, in
Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh for more than 50 years. Read more
information about the breed below. The Malvi cattle are mainly used as a
draught animal. The cows are not good milk producers and not good for the
production of milk.
We need to be more aware and sensitive towards this silent environmental disaster. Please share your thoughts and suggestions to protect these breeds for our future generations to come.
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