Himalayan livestock dying out due to cross-breeding: Study

Srinagar, Oct 21: The nomadic Gujjars and bakerwals of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh have lost about a dozen indigenous species of livestock in 40 years and several are on the brink of extinction due to uncontrolled cross- breeding with foreign varieties, according to a study.

A dozen "rarest of the rare" species of sheep, goats, horses and dogs have become extinct in four decades and half-a-dozen "considered most threatened in the world" are on the verge of extinction in the two himalayan states, the study conducted by tribal research and cultural foundation, says.

The national NGO working on tribal affairs claimed the livestock distinctive among Gujjars and Bakerwals from "time immemorial", started dying out since 1968 when Indian Council for Agricultural Research under the Union Agriculture Ministry introduced certain foreign-origin breeds to get maximum yield in terms of wool, mutton and other viable benefits.