Ship of the Mountains:Yak Rearing by Brokpas in Arunachal Pradesh
By
Sanjit Maiti, Vijay Paul, Sanchita Garai, and S. M. Deb
Yak (Poephagus grunniens L.) is a unique bovine species of economical importance in the high hill and snowbound areas and had originated from the cold regions of Tibet. Yak is the only large hairy multipurpose bovid and a unique genetic resource with an amazing ability to survive, reproduce, and provide marketable products to the highlanders. The yaks are reared under the free-range system in the high hills where the air, water, and pasture are free from any pollution, and their products are organic and just natural. The yaks are reared under a free-range system and are found in alpine and sub-alpine regions usually between 3000 to 4500 m above mean sea level (MSL) with a cold, semi-humid climate and even at 6000 m MSL in India. The world population of domestic yaks is about 14.2 million, of which about 94 percent (13.3 million) are in China. In India, there are around 58,000 yaks. West Kameng and Tawang districts of Arunachal Pradesh have around 24,000 yaks.
Traditional knowledge or practices refers to the unique local knowledge or practice existing within and developed around the specific condition to a particular geographical area that is unique to a given culture or society. It is the basis for local-level decision making, healthcare, food security, education, natural resource management, and a host of their activities in their community. A distinctive feature of traditional knowledge is that it comprehends continuities within the diverse landscapes and vegetation and that it manipulates these micro-sites in production. Thus, yak rearers know their animal and the interaction in the environment in which they rear. The importance of yak rearing community’s knowledge for traditional breeding, conservation of local breeds, and use of ethnoveterinary practices depend on the self–organizing capacity of the pastoral systems, based on the institutional adaptability of the pastoralists and the ecological resilience of the used as fodder, for healthcare and increasing productivity of yak.
Yak production and management system varied due to several factors like region, religion, custom, govt policies, climate, topography, the health of the natural pastures, marketing facilities, etc. During the study in Arunachal Pradesh, a lot of variations of existing yak management practices by Brokpa Yak Herders were observed and documented. These observations are as follows;
Herd Composition
Existing yak herds were composed of milch yak, dry yak, calves, bull, yak-cattle hybrid. Generally, female yak is called Bree and male yak is called Yak. The male of the yak-cattle hybrid is popularly known as Dzo whereas the female is Dzomo. Herd size was varied from 10 to 60 in Arunachal Pradesh. As yak is the symbol of status and wealth, so, yak owners were mostly interested in quantity not in quality. The male-female ratio of the yak herd is also not maintained in this region. In Arunachal Pradesh, it was 1:1.36. Brokpas collect 50 – 60 yaks from different owners to look after and in each group, 3-4 yak herdsmen were there with a total of 250-300 yak.
Seasonal Migration and Grazing Pattern
Traditionally yaks are reared under a semi-migratory free-ranged system and totally depend on the pasture grasses. Yak herders are always in search of better pastures. Generally, they followed two pasture utilization strategies i.e. summer and winter pasture. During summer, they took yak to a higher altitude of 4000 meters above mean sea level (MSL) and higher. During winter they utilized lower altitude (3000 m MSL) and sometimes they leave their animal in the forest land for grazing. Grazing in summer pasture is from May to September, and they start down migration in October. From October to the first week of December they utilize pastures of their migratory root and stayed different pastures for one week to a fortnight. Herders reached near their village in the middle of December and utilize these lower altitudes up to February. Again they start for up migration in the first week of March and on the way to summer grazing they utilize transit pasture as they used it during down migration. In their traditional migration calendar, it is so planned that they always get green grasses and natural hay throughout the year.
Year-Round Activities of Herders
Year-round activities of yak herder mainly depend on the availability of green forage grasses and climatic conditions. There is a close relationship between the seasonal migration and round the year activities of yak herder. Yak herdsmen used to divide a year into four parts viz. spring, summer, autumn, and winter. During the summer from July to September, yak herdsmen stayed at alpine pasture at an altitude of 4,000 to 4500 meters above MSL and it is the productive season of yak husbandry as the availability of fresh green grasses are adequate. Maximum calving takes place in this season and they start for the preparation of milk products. In the second half of this season, breeding of yak is started due to the good health condition. During the autumn season, middle of September to December, yak herdsmen start down migration and utilize the green grasses of the mid-altitude. Yaks are still productive and the preparation of milk products continued. In this season yak mixed with local cattle and suffered from various infectious diseases. They finally reached to lower altitude of 3000 meters to 3500 meters and start winter grazing. During the winter season, they stop milking and left the animal in the nearby forest. Once a week, they offered salt to their animal throughout the season. Sometimes they collect tree fodder and fed to milch Dzomo. The death of animals was also noticed due to starvation in this season. In March when the climate of lower altitude changed towards summer, then, they start for up migration for the searching cold weather. It is the starting of the calving period and the milking of animals is initiated. Body condition improves due to the availability of grass on the transit route.
Calf Rearing Practices
Calving of yak took place mainly from May to September and maximum calving was observed during July. Generally, it is noticed that birth weight is maximum in June and declines thereafter. Weaning is not practiced in field conditions. Yak herder used to milk their animal in the early morning and evening. So, they separate calves from them during the night and afternoon. Milk replacer (liquid nutrition having nutritional qualities comparable to mother's milk that is given to young animals when mother's milk is not available) and calf starter (transition feed for a calf from the milk–feeding period to the dry feeding period) was not practiced. Calves were allowed to take all the available milk for up to one month. Yak herder did not practice proper calf management practices like deworming, vaccination, etc.
Milking of the Yak and Yak-Cattle Hybrid
Though yak is a multipurpose bovid providing milk, meat, hair fiber and have a use as a draught animal, but, milk is the most important output from yak husbandry as other products are limited due to several reasons like the banning of slaughter in Tawang. Generally, yaks are milked at one time during the early morning but during the peak production period, two times milking is followed during early morning and evening. Dzomo is milked twice in a day during the early morning and evening. Due to the short teat size, the stripping method (firmly holding the teat between the thumb and forefinger and drawing it down the length of the teat) of milking is generally followed among the yak herders. During milking, animals were provided a locally concentrate mixture, the fermented product of maize, and local millet.
Shearing
Generally, yak produces two types of hair viz. course hair and fine hair. Coarse hair is the outer layer of the body and fine hair is the inner layer. Normally shedding is done once in a year in May or June. But the shedding of fine hair starts from May and continues up to July.
Traditional feeding Practices of Yak
Search for better pasture grasses is as important as the climate for seasonal migration of yak herds. During the summer and autumn season, yaks are allowed to consume green grasses as much as possible. High altitude pastures have a variety of low growing grasses, sedges, forbes, and bushes that are utilized by yaks and other domestic animals. Due to the availability of green pasture grasses, its growth stage, and high nutritive value, yak used to gain maximum bodyweight in this season. Scanty feed availability in the long winter period (November to March) is a major nutritional factor limiting the performance of yaks in terms of production and reproduction. Locally available alternate feed resources like tree fodder, agricultural by-products, and coarse roughages were utilizing by the yak herdsmen for feeding of their yak during peak winter. The important locally available tree fodder species commonly fed to yaks are phrengpa (Quercuswallichiana), sylui (Acer campellii), salyx (Salix humboldtiana), blemkar(Buddlejaasiatica), domkar (Symplocosracemosa), maar (Castanopsis sp.),zimbu (Ligustrummyrsinitis), karsingh (Acer hookeri), marma (Spirala sp), bamlakpa (Embeliarobusta), Domreb and bagar (Berberis sp). Locally available concentrate ingredients like maize and millet grains especially during pregnancy and lactation were provided, but it was rarely practiced. It was also found that in Sikkim during winter season some edible lichen-like Cladonia, Cetraria, and Usneapectinata are were provided to the animal with the forages grasses. This result was confirmed by the findings of the other researchers.
Traditional Breeding and Hybridization Practices
Generally, the breeding season of yak starts from June and continues up to September-October when an adequate amount of green grasses are available. Natural mating is the predominant practice of breeding. Traditionally yak put into the first service at the age of 32-42 months and gave their first calf at the age of 42 – 52 months. Under traditional practices, yak gives 2 birth every three to three and a half years. Body confirmation gets as much as important as age in the selection of breeding bull and first service to the female yak by the yak herder. Exchange of breeding bull among the herders is a common practice. Yak herder used to prefer to cross their animal with the bull of Luguthang and Marek Shakten area of West Kameng districts as the herders believe that bulls of these areas are of superior quality.
Hybridization between yak and cattle is recorded from time immemorial. Species hybridization between male hill cattle and female yaks is common in Arunachal Pradesh. The opposite cross is also practiced by the yak herder. F1 (first generation hybrid) males are known as Dzo and females as Dzomo in most parts of the yak-breeding tract. Yak herders practice inter-species breeding for better production as Dzomo is known for its better production and adaptation at a lower altitude. Sometimes, it is considered that Dzo is a more efficient pack/draught animal than male yak at a lower altitude. F1 hybrids are more productive than their parents. However, subsequent generations are less productive and uneconomical. Interestingly, yak herders reported that male offspring (Dzo) of interspecies crossing are always sterile and they use it only for draught purpose.
Hybridization between yak and cattle is recorded from time immemorial. Species hybridization between male hill cattle and female yaks is common in Arunachal Pradesh. The opposite cross is also practiced by the yak herder. F1 (first generation hybrid) males are known as Dzo and females as Dzomo in most parts of the yak-breeding tract. Yak herders practice inter-species breeding for better production as Dzomo is known for its better production and adaptation at a lower altitude. Sometimes, it is considered that Dzo is a more efficient pack/draught animal than male yak at a lower altitude. F1 hybrids are more productive than their parents. However, subsequent generations are less productive and uneconomical. Interestingly, yak herders reported that male offspring (Dzo) of interspecies crossing are always sterile and they use it only for draught purpose.
Production Performance
All lactating yaks, irrespective of age, parity or breed, type, and even location, attained peak yield during July and August when the green grass was at its best in terms of quality and quantity. Quantity, growth status, and nutritive value of herbage are affected by climatic and season in yak-rearing areas. It was observed that milk yield ranged from 150 to 500 kg in lactation of 150 to 300 days, meat yield from 110 to 250 kg, coarse hair yield from 2.5 to 6.5 kg per year, and fine hair from 300 gm to 700 gm. Under traditional rearing practices, the inter-calving period is 16-24 months. The majority of the North-Eastern yaks suffer from various reproductive problems like late maturity, long calving interval, and poor estrus expressivity, seasonality of estrus, repeat breeding, still-birth, abortion, and inbreeding.
Traditional Yak Products
Yak is a multipurpose animal producing milk, meat, hair fiber, used as a draught animal, and due to its multipurpose utility, yak popularly known as ‘Coconut of Animal’. The entire yak products are just organic in nature by default. Generally, yak herders are not consuming milk as such. They consumed it after processed into ghee or Churpi (a wet cheese made from fermented yak milk). They prepared, stored, sale both the products in their traditional way. Churpi is a delicious item made from yak milk by traditional method in an indigenous cylindrical churner made of wood and bamboo strips. According to yak herders’ perception, yak meat is very delicious. In Tawang, slaughtering of the yak is banned but during festival season (like Loshar – new year festival, before winter) yaks are slaughtered in a specified place on a pre-fixed date. However, in West Kameng yaks are slaughtered during different occasions throughout the year. Yak milk and meat are only the sources of protein of highlanders who have little access to modern life. Herdsmen cut yak meat into long narrow strips (approximately, 4-5 cm wide and 30 cm long) and dry these suspended from a woven-hair rope. These can be kept for 1-2 years either hung or in hide bags. Previously it was reported about sausage, prepared from yak meat by incorporating pork and fat (in the ratio of yak meat 60 percent, pork 20 percent, and pork fat 20 percent). Income to the yak rearer from raw yak hair and down the fiber is very low as compared to milk and meat products. Traditionally, hairs are used for making ropes, caps, blankets, bags, and tents for daily used by herdsmen in all the yak rearing tracks of the North-East region.
Changes in Rearing Practices and its Future
Nowadays, yak herders are forced to migrate to a higher altitude in search of a congenial environment for a yak to maintain its productivity due to warming Himalaya. But, these high altitude pastures are devoid of basic amenities like transport, electric, healthcare, market, etc. Whereas, mid-altitude pastures are full of these basic amenities but underutilized, because, it is too high for cattle and too low for yak. Therefore, due to their easy adaptability at mid-altitude, species hybridization between yak and hill cattle is getting more importance among the yak herders. Brokpas recalled that yak-cattle hybridization is a common practice for them, but, this practice gets momentum during the last one or two decades, and changing climatic scenario is mainly responsible for this. A close relationship between the seasonal migration and round the year activities of yak herder was observed. The availability of green forage grasses and climatic conditions were determining factors of migration.
Brokpas revealed that 10-15 years back, they used to start upward migration in May – June. They also revealed that during the last 10-15 yrs, the winter period had shortened and the temperature during the mid of March is not at all congenial for yak. Therefore, they were forced to start upward migration during the last week of February to mid of March.
It is already mentioned that Brokpa pastoral nomads are forced to migrate to a higher altitude. Therefore, previously used transit pastures are presently using as winter halt. Pastures of near to 2500 m above MSL are presently using as transit. Brokpa pastoral nomads opined that these pastures were used as the summer halt before 10-15 yrs. Pastures are the lifeline of the livelihood of the Brokpa pastoral nomads. At the same time, they perceived that the quality of the pastures is degrading day by day. They also perceived that rejuvenation of degraded pastures is an urgent need for their sustainable livelihood security. Therefore, yak herders in collaboration with National Research Centre on Yak have started rejuvenation of degraded high-altitude pastures by introducing new species of grasses like Dactylus glomerata L, Lolium perenne L, Setaria sphacelata, Festuca arundinacea and legumes like Trifloium repens L. and Trifolium pratense. Degraded high altitude pastures are the cause of reduced availability of feed and fodder. Therefore, The Brokpa pastoral nomads are nowadays offering feed supplementation to their animals for better productivity. Locally available feed resources like maize crushed are being used as supplementation. They are providing feed supplementation mainly in the winter season when adequate grass is not available. Few Brokpa pastoral nomads also adopted the Complete Feed Blocks (CFB) prepared by the National Research Centre on Yak during the winter season to maintain the body weight and productivity of their animal.
Brokpas were solely depended on the traditional animal healthcare practices for their diseased animal. Nowadays, They prefer mid-altitude pastures, where yaks are mixed with local cattle, and as a result yaks and cattle suffer from various infectious diseases like foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), brucellosis, haemorrhagic septicemia (HS), chlamydiosis, salmonellosis and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR). Their own traditional knowledge is not so much successful to control these diseases. Therefore, they are adopting modern health care practices like vaccination, etc. to protect their herd from fatal diseases and to maintain proper production and productivity. The transhumance system of livestock rearing is considered difficult, tough, and devoid of modern amenities. Therefore, the younger generations of yak herdsmen are now not willing to continue with the age-old yak rearing as their profession. Therefore, the Brokpa pastoral nomads adopted several subsidiary income-generating activities like collection of star fruit from the forest, a laborer of apple & kiwi orchard, and in Border Road Organisation, etc.
Brokpas were solely depended on the traditional animal healthcare practices for their diseased animal. Nowadays, They prefer mid-altitude pastures, where yaks are mixed with local cattle, and as a result yaks and cattle suffer from various infectious diseases like foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), brucellosis, haemorrhagic septicemia (HS), chlamydiosis, salmonellosis and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR). Their own traditional knowledge is not so much successful to control these diseases. Therefore, they are adopting modern health care practices like vaccination, etc. to protect their herd from fatal diseases and to maintain proper production and productivity. The transhumance system of livestock rearing is considered difficult, tough, and devoid of modern amenities. Therefore, the younger generations of yak herdsmen are now not willing to continue with the age-old yak rearing as their profession. Therefore, the Brokpa pastoral nomads adopted several subsidiary income-generating activities like collection of star fruit from the forest, a laborer of apple & kiwi orchard, and in Border Road Organisation, etc.
With more and more young Brokpa Herders opting for a sedentary lifestyle, their nomadic way of life is under threat. National Research Centre on Yak is trying to make the herders' lives better through various innovations and technologies to improve the Yak husbandry practices, ultimately trying to conserve the "Ship of the Mountains" and its "Purveyors ", The Brokpas.
Video Courtesy : National Research Centre on Yak, Indian Council of Agricultural Research
Acknowledgment: The authors expressed their gratitude to the Brokpa pastoral nomads for sharing their knowledge, views, concerns regarding the way of livelihood i.e. transhumance system of yak rearing.
10/10/2020
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Sanjit Maiti is working as a Scientist of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and presently posted at National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal Haryana. Previously, he was at National Research Centre on Yak, Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh.
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Vijay Paul is working as Principal Scientist of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and presently posted at National Research Centre on Yak, Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh.
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Sanchita Garai is working as a Scientist of the Indian Council of Agricltural Research and presently posted at National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal Haryana.
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S M Deb is working as Principal Scientist of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and presently posted at National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal Haryana. Previously, he was the Director of the National Research Centre on Yak, Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh.
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