The Gist of Kurukshetra : Animal Husbandry: A Breathing Diligence of Cultural Heritage - March -2017

Animal Husbandry: A Breathing Diligence of Cultural Heritage - March -2017

Animal husbandry is an art of breeding and rearing animals for the benefit of human society. The word 'Animal Husbandry' applies primarily to cattle or dairy cows, buffalo, chickens, goats, pigs, horses and sheep. Today, even animals like donkeys, mules, rabbits and insects such as bees are being raised as part of it. In fact, rearing of animals is an age old practice of Indian culture. During different phases of cultural revolutions, animals have embossed their importance through their of contribution in human livelihood. Many ancient historical monuments and the findings at excavations of old civilizations have proved the intense relations of animals with human since before the beginning of its written documentations. The ancient symbols of prestige and power had mostly decorated in the form of animal sculptures, which undoubtedly denotes the cultural worth of animals in India. Consumption of varieties of animal flesh has been documented as a common practice in various ancient literatures.

The multidimensional potential of various animals has been an ever attracting feature that has created an inevitable bond of relation with Indian economy. Livestock sector has been renowned as a back bone of Indian agriculture. Apart from the supply of consumable milk, meat, eggs as a protein source for ever increasing Indian human population, animals not only been contributing to concrete the animal based industries by producing hide, fibre, wool, bone meal, blood meal, but also been boosting Indian traditional art and crafts by providing feathers, hooves, horns etc. The drought power, Bio-gas, dung cakes utilised in rural India, have their own landmarks by saving considerable amount of fuel and electricity and thereby contributes in pollution control up to some extent.

Scenario of Indian Animal Wealth

India is enriched with one of the largest diversity of animal wealth in the world. At present, there are 37 recognized breeds of cow, 13 of buffaloes, 39 of sheep, 24 of goats, 6 of horses, 8 of camels, 2 of pigs 1 of donkeys and 15 of poultry in India. The livestock census in India is carried out once every five years. The 19th Livestock Census was carried out in 2012 and encompassed all States and Union Territories covering all villages, towns and wards in the country.

As compared to the 18th Livestock Census, there has been 'an overall decline of 3.33 per cent in the total livestock population in the country. The total livestock population including cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goat, pigs, horses and ponies, mules, donkeys, camels, mithun and yaks, was 512.20 million in 2012. The total poultry population, including fowls, ducks, turkeys and others, was 729.20 million.

While there has been an overall decline in the total livestock population in the country, some States have recorded substantial increases in livestock numbers.
In India, different systems have been adopted by the farmers at different corners of the country. But broadly considering, rearing animals can be classified in three different systems as follows:

Mixed Livestock Farming: Widely spread and highly popularized among the Indian farmers, this method actually involves agriculture and animals together as the principle of co-existence, where animals are used for tillage, providing manure to agriculture and in returns animals can get crop residues as feed, care and shelter-by owner. According to the availability of resources, the farmers may hold 5-6 animals and maintain them with the agriculture remnants. Usually, animals are managed on coarse type of fodder for most of the duration but a farmer can get drought power, milk, dung etc at a very reasonable cost.

Migratory Livestock Farming: This is an ancient system of livestock rearing .In this system, the natural resources in form of pastures and grass lands are used to feed the animals. Animals always need to move in search of fodder and water. But due to devastation of natural grasslands and limited monsoon, this method of animal rearing is declining day by day. For small ruminants like sheep and goat it of Indian animal husbandry way forward different proved itself as the economic method of rearing.

Land are only common resource acting as the platform for the development of human and animals. Ever increasing competition among them for food security has been creating nuisance in their relation. Being the most dominant species on planet, being has got first priority to implement his ideas leading to less concern towards animals as compared with industrialization. Apart from this many more issues have been alarming as problems in Indian animal husbandry, which include huge animal population, low production potential of indigenous animals, non producing and aged animals, devastating natural pastures, fluctuating monsoon and reluctant droughts, lack of infrastructure facilities at rural areas, deficient Feed and Fodder, indiscriminate Breeding, lack of awareness for scientific animal management, lack of credit facilities for animals owners and environmental pollution.

Culling of Burdening Animals: According Non-productive, disowned, over aged animals are estimated about 7.45 per cent of the livestock population in India. This group of animals have been creating excess burden on the natural resources. Removal of such useless animals from the population will be surely helpful to mitigate fodder crisis in livestock. A special policy' should be designed to deal with such animal.

Rejuvenation of Natural Pastures and Grasslands: By means of overgrazing, less rainfall, detoriated soil quality, natural pastures have been destroyed in many parts of the country. Rejuvenation of such landscapes with improved varieties of fodders, manuring, provision of microirrigation with solar energy and management of grazing will surely boost up the natural resources for fodder. NGO's may also be involved in such activities.

Ceiling of Cross Breeding: After the implementation of National programmes of Cross breeding, undoubtedly, the production potential of indigenous animals have been improved by means of up-gradation, but there should be a regular check for permissible exotic blood level in indigenous animals, as the cross bred population are more prone to diseases in Indian condition here should be ceiling for cross breeding. Conservation of elite herds of pure germ plasm will definitely be a milestone in future animal husbandry.

Maintenance of Animal Health Cards: Usually verbal information provided by the owner serves as a base for veterinarians. So to avoid such complications and to streamline the data recording up to date, maintenance of Animal health cards should be made mandatory for each animal owner.

Rigorous Veterinary Extension Education: Improved skills and latest technologies for animal management should reach at the farmers door step shortly. As prevention is better than cure, occurrence of any complications in animals can be avoided by means of proper scientific care and management.

Pricing Policy: Regular fluctuations in the market prices of animal produce severely shocks livestock sector. Somehow, poultry industry has its well settled pricing policy, but for other products, there are heavy fluctuations in their market prices. There should be a monitoring agency, which will declare base price for all animal produces, this will help to measure production potential of animals appropriately.

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Courtesy: Kurukshetra