SHAMSUDDIN ILLIUS
Publication Date: 17 December, 2017 00:00 00 AM
Media: The Independent
Original Link: bovine breeding success
E-paper Link: bovine breeding success
Some cattle farmers of Chittagong, Rangamati and Bandarban districts have achieved remarkable success in breeding the ‘gayal’, an endangered feral animal species of Bangladesh. The bovine gayal, which belongs to the species of Bos frontalis, is also known as ‘mythun’ or ‘mithan’ to the inhabitants of the hill forests of India.
Farmers of the region are being magnetised to farming the gayal—one of the largest species of oxen—as it is more profitable than farming the cattle in their farms.
As the farmers and livestock experts point out, there are double benefits in farming the gayal.
Not only will the endangered animal be saved, livestock farmers can make more profits compared to cattle farming.
There were two types of cattle in the hill forests of Bangladesh, especially the hill districts—the gaur (Bos gaurus) and the gayal (Bos frontalis). While the gaur has become an extinct species in Bangladesh, the gayal is nowadays considered a critically endangered animal.
Feral species
The Gayal is a feral graminivorous animal. The size and shape of the gayal is close to cattle and buffalo. Once the gayal roamed the forests of Chittagong and the hill districts of Chittagong. But now it is on the brink of extinction as the sanctuary (habitat) of the gayal has been destroyed.
Under such circumstances, Ershad Mahmud—a local resident of Rangunia upazila in Chittagong—started a farm in the hilly Padua area with three gayals in 2007. At present, there are 50 gayals at his farm. He has sold more than 40 gayals in the past four years.
“Since food is available, gayal rearing is very comfortable in the hilly environment. Also, the gayal is hardly affected by diseases,” explained Raja Mia, the caretaker of the farm.
In three years, a cattle weighs between 200kg and 300kg and a gayal can weigh up to 700kg, 20–25 per cent more than cows. Gayal bulls and cows are generally black with white spots.
They are very fond of green grass and other monocots that grow in forest clearings. They come to human dwellings to obtain salt. According to the livestock department, the average life span of a gayal is 15 to 16 years.
Ershad Mahmud—the man who was the first to start gayal farming—told The Independent, “In 2007, I collected three gayals from a tribal family of Rangamati hill district. It was then just a hobby.”
“Then I started breeding it for commercial purposes at Sukhbilash area in Rangunia as it found it was profitable. Now there are 50 gayals, including newborns and collected animals, at my farm. They weigh between 200kg and 450kg,” added Ershad.
“I have sold more than 40 gayals in the last four years. In the last Eid-ul-Azha, I sold four gayals. The sale price was between Tk 2 lakh and Tk 3.5 lakh,” he added.
Seeing Mahmud’s success, some other farmers have started breeding and farming gayals in Bandarban, Rangamati and Chittagong districts.
Rising demand
The price of the gayal is more than those of the cow and buffalo sold in the markets. The demand for gayals is increasing as more meat is available compared to cows and buffaloes. Gayal meat is popular in Chittagong region as it is tastier than cow meat and has less fat.
Mahmud disclosed, “Once the gayal was considered a wild animal. At that time, the hill people hunted gayals by trapping them. They were smuggled into the markets.”
“I started farming it commercially as I found it profitable. Gradually, the demand for Gayal has increased. Many farmers have collected gayal calves from me and started their farms,” added Mahmud.
Again, biogas plants have been set up using the dung of the gayal. Biogas is being supplied to five local families as fuel. The leftovers of the dung at the biogas plants are being used as fish feed in fish farms. There are six employees at his gayal farms, added Mahmud.
Mahmud urged the government to encourage gayal farming and provide financial support to such farmers so that it becomes an emerging sector to meet the demand for meat in the country. Suman Barua, another farmer who has started a gayal farm at Rangunia with Ershad Mahmud’s help, too sought government support for the sector to ensure its expansion.
Once upon a time, there was a tradition in the Chittagong region to sacrifice gayals at the Annual Orosh mahfil (Islamic functions) and Mejban, but in the past two decades, it is hardly seen here, as the gayal is fast disappearing from the hills of the Chittagong region. The gayal is a valuable sacrificial animal. It is regarded as a symbol of social status by hilly tribal people in Bangladesh.
“One of the wild oxen—named the gaur—was lost long ago from Bangladesh. They were found in the deep evergreen forests. Now the gayal is the only survivor of the wild oxen, or more accurately, feral oxen in Bangladesh,” said Abdul Hai, former livestock officer of Chittagong district.
“The gayal is known as mithun in neighbouring India. In India, there are completely wild cattle or gaur, semi-wild 
gayal and pet gayal. The gayal is actually not fully wild cattle. Though the gayal is like the gaur, they are very gentle, and are easily tamed by the tribal people,” added Hai.
“The gayal is certainly facing an existential crisis at present. These private farms must be encouraged to protect the gayal,” observed Hai.
Research projects
Scientists of the Naikhonchhari regional centre of the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI) in Bandarban Hill District undertook a programme for the conservation and improvement of this species in 1990. However, no fruitful result has been generated from this programme as yet.
Md Arshadul Alam, scientific officer and site in-charge of Naikhonchhari BLRI, said, “The gayal is an endangered wild animal of Bangladesh. As it started to become extinct, the BLRI undertook the conservation programme. We now have three gayals. Rearing a gayal is not only profitable but also necessary to saveOK an endangered wild species of Bangladesh.”
“Gayal farming is encouraging the local cattle farmers. Many come to us for advice. Many have already started farms in Bandarban Hill District, as in Rangunia of Chittagong. We are expanding our help to them so that they can smoothly run the gayal farms,” added Alam.
A research on the gayals of Bangladesh was jointly conducted by the Bangladesh Agriculture University, the National Museum of Ethnology and Yamazaki Gakuen University of Japan, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development of Nepal and the College of Animal Science and Technology of Huazhong Agricultural University of China, from 2008 to 2012.
The research findings stated, “Reproductive efficiency was high and calving interval was 402 days. They exhibited high disease resistance. The high growth rate and reproductive efficiency of gayals in the home tract indicates that this species can be utilised economically if a proper breeding plan and a sound extension service can be adopted.”
“Bandarban Hill District was found to be the home tract of the gayal in Bangladesh. Gayals were reared under extensive management system in the forest of Bandarban Hill District. They browsed forest herbs and grasses freely in the forest and came to human dwellings for licking salt. The total number of gayals here was found to be 571,” said Dr Md. Omar Faruque, a professor of the Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics of Bangladesh Agriculture University (BAU), who led the research. He added, “The gayal is primarily reared as a meat animal and highly preferred among the tribal people of the north-eastern region of India. However, the gayal is also used as a ceremonial animal, and plays an important role in the economic, social and cultural life of the tribal people of north-eastern India. Like buffalo, gayal milk contains high protein and fat.”
As the gayal is now one of the endangered animal genetic resources in Bangladesh, measures should be taken to conserve this species by utilising it as an economic resource, he noted.
“One mature bull was sold at Tk 1,20,00 to Tk 1,50,000 in the home tract. That was sold up to Tk 3,00,000 in the ‘Oros’ place,” said Dr Faruque. He also urged all to save the forests where the gayal lives.
After observing the success of the farmers in the hills, some farmers of Narsingdi district started rearing gayals after collecting them from the hill districts, added Dr Faruque.
