Punganur Cow

14 Nov 2024 10:06:38 am

Tags : Punganur Cow

Topic: Biodiversity

Why in the news?

While the debate over the commercial viability of the rare cattle breed remains unsettled, the owners of the dwarf cows, in a less endearing than worrisome sense, caution new buyers of the inseparable and tight emotional bond that petite beauties form with their owners, making the rearing process an emotionally expensive journey.

Source: The Hindu

About Punganur Cow:

Standing at just around 70-90 cm tall and weighing less than 200 kg, it is among the world’s most dwarf cattle breeds.
It is native to Punganur village in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.
It has high resilience to drought and can adapt to low-quality feed.
It is also prized for its milk, which boasts a higher fat content, making it ideal for producing ghee.
- It can give around 1 to 3 l. a day, and the milk fat content is 8 percent as compared to 3 to 4 percent in other native breeds.
- The milk is also rich in nutrients such as Omega fatty acids, calcium, potassium, and magnesium.
It is white, grey, or light brown to dark brown or red in colour. Sometimes, animals with white colour mixed with red, brown, or black patches are also seen.
It has a broad forehead and short horns. The horns are crescent-shaped and often lose curving backward and forward in males and lateral and forward in females.
It is considered eco-friendly, requiring less water, feed, and space compared to hybrid breeds.
Even today, many temples in Andhra Pradesh, including the famous Tirupati Thirumala Temple, use the milk of a Punganur cow for Ksheera Abhishekam (milk offering to the deity).