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Smallest cow saved from extinction

The Kerala Agriculture University in Thrissur has gained international attention by saving the world's smallest cattle of Kerala origin, the Vechoor cow from near extinction.

Known for its high milk yield, fat content and disease resistance, it was very popular and abundant in central Kerala till 1960, when the state government took up intensive cross-breeding of native cows with imported exotic bulls for increasing the milk yield.

This was followed by the enactment of the Kerala Livestock Act, 1961, prohibiting maintenance of indigenous bulls, resulting in the Vechoor cattle reaching near extinction by the 1980s.

It took a decade for the people to realise and attempt to remedy the situation. Accordingly, the university started the Vechoor cow conservation project in 1990 with assistance from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. A nucleus stock of about 135 cows and bulls having a maximum hump level height of 105 cm and weighing an average 107 kg, are thriving at the university's cattle farm.

The cow, credited with having the highest milk yield, calculated in proportion to its body weight and very low feed requirements, is listed as a 'distinct breed' among 30 breeds of Indian cattle under the ICAR's latest calendar on 'Cattle breeds of India' published by the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources.

It has also earned recognition from the Food and Agriculture Organisation, which has listed the cow among Indian breeds in its domestic animal diversity information system.

The World Watch List of Domestic Animal Diversity, published by the FAO, has listed the Vechoor cattle under the category of 'critical breeds of near extinction'. The breed was once popular and abundant in Kottayam, Ernakulam and Alapuzha districts.

It was the successful popular movement against the proposed Silent Valley hydroelectric project which created an environmental consciousness in Kerala in the early 1980s that triggered conservation action on several fronts.

At the agriculture university, Dr Sosamma Ipe, professor, animal genetics in the veterinary college, was concerned about the loss of germplasm of the Vechoor cattle, about which she had vivid childhood memories in her ancestral home in Kottayam. She motivated some students to conduct an extensive search for the cows and bulls in Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam and Alapuzha districts. The movement soon became the Save the Vechoor cow campaign.

They succeeded in persuading the university to launch the cow conservation project in 1989 with eight animals, including a bull. In the beginning, the university funded the project. The ICAR soon came to its support with a scheme on conservation of germplasm of Vechoor cattle under which it released a grant of Rs 4.7 million during 1993-98.

A vigorous breeding programme was undertaken and embryo transfer technology was also used to produce more female progeny with good breed characteristics within a short time. Thus the university now has a stock of about 135 Vechoor cows and bulls at its two cattle farms. About 30 field units have also been established with animals supplied from this stock in various parts of the state.

Union Minister of State for Agriculture Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav, who recently visited the Vechoor Cow Conservation Centre, complimented the project team headed by Dr Ipe for the efforts in conserving the indigenous breed.

The conservation project had to encounter a series of problems in the initial stages, Dr Ipe said. Several ''imaginative'' stories appeared in the print media, maligning those associated with the project. It prompted the university to come out with a white paper to clear the misconceptions, she said.

Nineteen cattle perished at the university's cattle farm between 1993-96 under mysterious circumstances; it was later proved to be due to poisoning of the animals, Dr Ipe said.

The Vechoor cow got its name from a village in Kottayam, where it was said to have evolved as a breed well adapted to the hot, humid tropical climate. Its spartan feed requirements made it ideal for small farmers. Being strong but light, the bulls were used for ploughing marshy paddy fields.

The infant mortality of the cow has been found to be almost nil under farm conditions. It is resistant to foot and mouth disease and mastitis, which play havoc with hybrid cows in Kerala. Compared to cross bred cows, the Vechoor cattle have a very low incidence of respiratory infections as well, Dr Ipe added.

UNI

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