Cross-breeding leading to native livestock decline in Orissa

BHUBANESWAR - A breed of cows native to Orissa which are less than one meter in height and said to be good hill climbers are facing extinction along with 20 other livestock breeds in the state.

“The state has identified five breeds of buffaloes, five poultry breeds, four breeds of cattle (cow, bull and ox), two breeds of sheep and five breeds of goats,” Bishnupada Sethi, the director of the Fisheries and Animal Resource Department, told IANS.

“The populations of these native breeds found in specific areas of the state are steadily on the decline. They are under threat of extinction,” Sethi said. “Indiscriminate cross-breeding during the past few decades has led to the decline in the number of our indigenous breeds,” Sethi added.

The government has issued instruction to all its veterinary officials to initiate steps for conservation of the 21 breeds.

The government is soon set to launch a conservation programme with the help of the local community with an investment of about Rs.20 crore. “We will identify operational areas to improve the population of the breeds and

train manpower so that they work for their conservation,” he added.

The government has planned to set up a project cell in Bhubaneswar for the overall monitoring and implementation of the programme.

“The livestock population in the state is about three crore, and of them about ten lakh are rare native breeds,” Sushanta Das, a professor of the Orissa Veterinary College of the Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), told IANS.

“The population of native breeds was around 30 lakh around 30 years ago,” Das said.

Most of the identified breeds have evolved naturally through adaptation to agro-ecological conditions in the state and have been contributing to the livelihood of the farmers since generations. They derived their names from the place of their origin or on the basis of prominent characteristics.

A species of cow seen in Motu area of Malkangiri district are less than one metre in height and, according to Das, they are not found anywhere else in the world.

Another prominent species under threat of extinction is a breed of buffalo found near world famous Chilika Lake have unique characteristics of consuming saline weeds. They usually go deep into the lake and can put their head in the water for about 30 seconds to get the weeds.

“The populations of this variety of buffaloes are now 30,000 against about one lakh 30 years ago,” he said.

Another breed facing extinction is a special variety of sheep found in the coastal districts of Orissa from Konark to Bhadrak area which produce twins and triplets.

The population of this breed has come down from over a lakh, 30 years ago, to a paltry 20,000.

(Jatindra Dash can be contacted at jatindra.d@ians.in)