Adaptation at work
Ladakh is one of the coldest inhabited places in the world. Day and night temperatures vary greatly. Low oxygen, dry air, high intensity lightning storms and sudden high precipitation create an extreme environment. This is the home of some well-adapted species and breeds, the most prominent being the yak. Mostly domesticated, the yak ( Bos mutus ) can still be found in the wild in higher ranges. Of some 40,000 yaks in India, about 15,700 are found in Leh and Kargil districts. Cattle are mainly distributed in Zanskari, Leh, Khaltsi and Nubra valley. Small and humpless, the cattle breeds - which have low milk yield and low draught power - have not been genetically evaluated. The population of Ladakhi cattle has been reduced to about 45,000 and is endangered by large-scale crossbreeding with yak and exotic breeds like Jersey and Holstein.
Ladakhi goats yield pashmina - soft, downy hair which grows at the base of long hair of goats and yaks. The population of the Changthangi goat, famous for its pashmina, has dwindled to 25,000 - probably due to crossbreeding for higher yield of wool, since the Changthangi annually yields only 0.5 kg of raw wool. "Thankfully, since other goats do not produce such fine wool, they are currently spared from government plans to introduce exotic germplasm," says Vasumathi Sankaran, consultant to the Biodiversity Conservation Prioritisation Project at the World Wide Fund for Nature-India. However, breeds of indigenous sheep like the Hunia, and horses and ponies native to Ladakh are likely to be lost if unmindful crossbreeding continues.
The double-humped Bactrian camel, bred by nomads in Nubra Valley, has shorter legs than the double-humped Gobo desert breed. Its warm fleece is useful in making rugs and woollen clothes. An excellent pack animal for cold and arid regions, its population has declined to 340, according to the 1988-89 census.
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