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Nature has blessed Pakistan with everything that humans could ever desire. From beautiful mountains to clear seas, Pakistan has an abundance of it all. Similarly, Pakistan has the blessing of many different species of animals.
Goats are one of the most important animals in the world in terms of productivity and usefulness. They are beautiful animals that can also be used as livestock and sources of food. As with many other things, nature has blessed Pakistan in this domain as well.
Pakistan has a large variety of goat breeds, with research showing that there are around 63 different breeds of goats living in Pakistan. The total population of goats also exceeds 50 million in number, and is growing by the day.
Pakistani Goat Breeds
Beetal
Beetal goats are one of the most popular breeds of goat in the subcontinent. Their population size is very large in the Punjab provinces of both India and Pakistan.
Beetal goats have a very distinct appearance and are easily spotted in a crowd. They have long and flat ears which are very evident. Their ears are also curly and droop down the side of their head.
These factors combine to mean that their ears are a very distinct aspect of their appearance.
Apart from their ears, Beetal goats also possess long legs and short tails.
Beetal goats are fairly large in size and this also helps them stand out from other breeds of goats.
Beetal goats can be found in many different colors. The most common colors of the Beetal goat are dark brown and black, which does not stand out a lot. However, their skin colors suit them well and complement their appearance.
Beetal goats are used for many different purposes. They are the most popular goat breed in the subcontinent for multiple reasons. The first reason for which they are preferred by farmers is that they produce high quality meat that can be sold in the market for very good prices.
They also produce large quantities of milk due to the large size of their bodies. This milk is also of a high quality.
Furthermore, the fact that Beetal goats possess large bodies means that they produce an ample amount of leather.
The skin of a Beetal can be used to make chamois, suede, and velour leather. These are all high quality leathers that can be used to manufacture gloves, clothes and shoes of impeccable quality.
Kamori
The Kamori goat is another popular breed of goats in the subcontinent. It is widely seen in the Sindh province in Pakistan but is also seen in some parts of India.
In Sindh, Kamori goats are primarily found in the regions of Nawabshah, Larkana, and Dadu.
The Kamori goat also has large ears much like most other goats. However, they have other distinctive features that help distinguish them from other goats in appearance.
Firstly, Kamori goats have long and attractive necks that set them apart from other goats. Long necks are always a sign of beauty amongst animals, no matter what the breed or species they belong to.
Purebred Kamori goats are very rare in the world and can be distinguished from their striking colors. Purebred Kamori goats are recognized by the coffee-colored spots on their otherwise dark brown bodies.
Since purebred Kamoris are so rare, they are also expensive.
The crossbred breeds of Kamori possess a similar body structure but lack the beautiful skin color. These breeds have been bred by farmers for financial reasons.
These Kamoris are usually crossbred with a species of goat known as the Patairee.
Farmers who keep Kamori goats for financial purposes use them for the production of milk. Kamoris produce significant quantities of milk due to their large sizes.
Dera Din Panah
The Dera Din Panah is a species of goat primarily found in Pakistan. Inside Pakistan, the Dera Din Panah is found chiefly in the Muzaffargarh and Multan regions in the province of Punjab.
The Dera Din Panah is not a very rare species, and is actually found to be pretty common in its native regions inside the country. According to official sources, its population was around 142 thousand in 2006.
Despite being a common breed, the Dera Din Panah does have a very noticeable appearance. The entirety of its body is covered in long hair that hangs really low. This hair results in the Dera Din Panah having a very unusual appearance.
The Dera Din Panah is black in color and also has exceptionally long ears. Despite the color of this breed being a very common one, it possesses other physical attributes that help it stand out.
One of its most defining features are its horns, which are a marvel to behold. The horns on a Dera Din Panah are very long and spiral upwards from its head in a handsome pattern.
From their appearance, it looks like their horns evolved over time to allow the Dera Din Panah to better defend itself against would be attackers.
The Dera Din Panah is large in size and this means that they are ideal for the production of meat and milk.
This makes them ideal for farmers who are looking to raise cattle for financial profits, and justifies their large numbers in the Punjab region.
Barbari
The Barbari is a very popular breed of goat in the subcontinent and is found in large numbers in both India and Pakistan. In Pakistan, the Barbari is found chiefly in the provinces of Sindh and Punjab.
The Barbari is a historic breed of goat. It has a unique name that it adopted from a city known as Berbera in the country of Somalia.
There are around 2.4 million Barbari goats present in the world and most of this population resides within Pakistan.
The Barbari is not very large in size, and is in fact a very compact breed as far as goats are concerned.
Unlike most goats on this list, the Barbari has small ears that point upwards from its head. In that regard, the ears of the Barbari help it to stand out from other goats.
It also has a small head along with small horns that complement the small head.
As far as color goes, the Barbari is largely found in a white color across the country. However, it does possess solid patches of different shades of brown on its body.
Barbari are also one of the most useful breeds of goats in the world. Unlike most goats, Barbari have adapted very well to climate of subcontinent and can continue to breed and provide milk all around the year.
This gives them a sizeable advantage over goats that breed seasonally and are not productive throughout the year.
Due to this, Barbari are popularly raised for the production of milk and meat.
Kaghani
The Kaghani goat gets its name from the valley that it originates from. The home of the Kaghani goat is the Kaghan valley that runs through the Swat, Mansehra, Kohistan, and Abbotabad regions in Pakistan.
Also known as the Bakerwali in some regions of the country, its origins lie in the Hazara district. The Kaghani goat is primarily found in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Northern regions of Pakistan. This is in stark contrast to most of the popular goats in Pakistan which are found in the Punjab and Sindh regions.
The Kaghani can be identified very easily based on its appearance. It is not very large in size but is bigger than the Barbari, making it a medium-sized goat. These male and female goats have beards on the mouth.
Its body is covered in long, straight hairs that fall downwards. The Kaghani can be found in varying colors all over the country, such as black, brown, white, or gray.
The Kaghani also has small, twirling horns that go straight up from its head.
The Kaghani are raised primarily so that they can be used for the production of meat, since their meat is of a very high quality.
The hair on their body is also as useful as it is abundant. An average Kaghani can produce around 2 kilos of hair and half a kilo of meat per year.
Nachi
The Nachi is another breed of goat that is found primarily in the Punjab province in Pakistan. To be more specific, the Nachi is most commonly found in Muzaffargarh, Multan, and Jhang districts in the southern half of Punjab. It is also common in the Bahawalpur and Layyah Districts.
The word Nachi belongs to a Punjabi origin and roughly translates to “having some dancing gait.”
The Nachi breed got its name from the fact that they have a dancing gait, and can be used as entertainment. According to research, this gate has something to do with their genetics.
The Nachi breed is a hairy one, having long and thick hair all over their bodies. They are also mainly found in a dark black color with white spots over their bodies and faces.
Nachi goats have medium sized ears that grow sideways. They also have small horns on the stop of their heads.
A defining feature of the Nachi breed is that their bodies lack flexibility, which is why it is difficult for them to move freely like other goats. The fact that they have very narrow shoulder blades also plays a part in this.
Nachi goats are not known for their large size and usually range from medium to small sizes.
They are very popular for their milk production capabilities. The skin of the Nachi can also be used to make high-quality leather.
Gulabi
The Gulabi goat is very popular in Pakistan and is found in significant numbers all over the country. The word Gulabi is an Urdu word that translates to the color pink in English.
Gulabi goats are one of the many breeds of goats that have resulted from the crossbreeding of goats by humans. The Gulabi breed came to be after 4 different breeds of goats were crossbred together.
The breeds that gave birth to the Gulabi were the Beetal, Pateri, Rajhanpuri, and Kamori goats. This 4 way crossbreeding practice resulted in the Gulabi breed of goats. Gulabi is one of the giant goat breeds of Pakistan.
Gulabi goats are often kept as pets due to their friendliness with humans and other animals. They especially adore humans and crave their attention.
Gulabi goats are quite large in size and have small horns in female on the top of their heads. They are almost always found in a completely white color.
They also have exceptionally large ears. In fact, the ears of Gulabi goats are so large that they sometimes fall down to their knees.
Even though Gulabi goats make for good pets, they are also useful as a source of meat and milk. A fully grown male can produce around 70 kilos of meat on average.
Overall, Gulabis are one of the most popular breed of goats in Pakistan. Read a complete profile of gulabi goat breed.
Teddy
Teddy goats are one of the most famous and widely raised breeds of goats in Pakistan. Although they originated in Punjab, their versatility and adaptability has meant that they have spread to every region in the country.
They can survive in harsh climates where other breeds of goats cannot. This has even resulted in them spreading to northern regions of Pakistan, such as Azad Kashmir.
The reason that Teddy goats have been so popular is because they are small and easy to handle for cattle farmers. They have small heads and tiny, pointy ears that point upwards.
Teddy goats are almost entirely found in a clean, white color. They do not have many color variations in their skin, nor do they have spots on their body.
They also have a small input, which means that they do not require a large amount of food.
Along with their versatility, their smaller diet has meant that they have grown into the most widely used commercial breed of goats in the country.
They are largely used as a commercial commodity to produce meat in Pakistan. Their numbers have grown further as the demand for mutton skyrockets in the country.
References
- http://afs.okstate.edu/breeds/goats/kamori/#content
- https://www.roysfarm.com/dera-din-panah-goat/
- https://www.roysfarm.com/barbari-goat/
- http://www.sheepadoodle.info/2019/10/Nachi-Goat-History-Milk-Weight-Size-Facts-Breed-Price.html#:~:text=Nachi%20goat%20breed%20is%20a,long%20hair%20on%20their%20body.
- http://afs.okstate.edu/breeds/goats/kaghani/index.html