The release of a special cover on Punganur cow by the Postal department recently has brought cheer to the officials of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary departments, and hundreds of dairy farmers in the district. In recognition of the importance of this rare breed of bovine, the special cover has the image of the cow with an impressive design.
The Punganur cow breed is considered “divine” not only by the officials but the farmers across the district. While veterinary scientists are busy working on a research project to preserve the breed, and to expand its presence through artificial insemination, the special cover is expected to bolster its image and help its popularity go places.
According to information, the cattle breed has a mention in the inscriptions of Bana and Chola dynasties dating back to the early 5th century AD. The scientists working on the research project maintain that the breed must have been originally living in the wild, and later brought into domestication centuries ago. Officials say that Punganur cows are very docile, resilient, farmer-friendly, and highly productive. “During homams and devotional services at temples and royal palaces of the yore, the presence of Punganur cows used to be a must. That’s why it is called divine in the parlance of veterinarians. These qualities make Punganur cow a mystery to veterinary scientists,” says a senior researcher at SV Veterinary University.
Assistant Director (Animal Husbandry) P. Manohar, currently working on the research project at Punganur, says despite efforts to rejuvenate the breed, the number of the original breed cattle does not exceed 400 all over India.
Superior qualities
A Punganur cow’s height does not go beyond 90 centimetres and weighs 120-200 kg. “It consumes five kg fodder daily as against 25 kg by any other hybrid cow or other native breeds and its fat percentage is more than 8% as against 3 or 3.5% in case of the regular breeds. Research proved that the milk of a Punganur cow has Omega fatty acids,” says Dr. Manohar.
The official says that researchers hope to propagate the importance of the Punganur breed far and wide, as it is the only breed that could even be raised in residential apartments. “Families can keep these cows right in their houses just like any other pet animal. Our artificial insemination methods are giving good results in increasing their population, though with slight variations compared to the original breed,” he explains.
Several farmers in Punganur who own the cows say the rare breed is considered “the daughter of Punganur soil”. “We are proud of our cows and thankful to the postal department and our local leaders who played a crucial role in getting the special cover released on it,” says Murali, a young farmer who owns two cows.
