Gayal

Gayal is a large semi-domesticated bovine that is native to Southeast Asia. These animals are also known as "mountain cattle." Their skin is blackish-brown on the head and body, and white or yellowish on the lower limbs. Domesticated gayals come in a variety of colours, with some being parti-coloured and others being wholly white. Their horns are big and huge, with a blackish colour from tip to base. Females are significantly smaller than males, with a smaller throat dewlap.

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The gayal, also known as the Mithun, is a huge domestic bovine found in Northeast India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Yunnan, China.

Taxonomy of Gayal

Aylmer Bourke Lambert gave the name Bos frontalis to a domestic species from Chittagong in his first description in 1804.

The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature determined in 2003 that the earliest accessible particular name based on a wild population is valid because it was preceded by a name based on a domestic form. The nomenclature Bos frontalis for the domestic species has been accepted by the majority of authors as legitimate for the taxon.

The taxonomic judgement that the gayal is a separate Bos species descended matrilineally from gaur, zebu, and cattle is supported by a phylogenetic study.

Characteristics of Gayal Animal

The gayal varies from the gaur in numerous major ways:

• It's a little smaller, with proportionately shorter limbs and a lower wither height.

• Bulls have a broader dewlap on the throat and have a less developed back ridge.

• With a flawlessly flat forehead and a straight line between the bases of the horns, the head is shorter and broader.

• The thick, huge horns are less flattened and curled than those of the gaur, reaching practically straight outwards from the sides of the head and curling slightly upwards at the tips, but with no inward inclination. As a result, their extremities are significantly farther apart than they are in the gaur.

• The female gayal is substantially smaller than the bull, and her throat has almost no dewlap.

• Both sexes have blackish-brown skin on their heads and bodies, with white or yellowish skin on the lower limbs.

• From base to tip, the horns have a consistent blackish colour.

• Domesticated gayals come in a variety of colours, with some being parti-coloured and others being wholly white.

On the Origins of the Gayal Animal, There are Two Basic Hypotheses:

• It is a tamed version of the wild gaur.

• It is the result of a mix between wild gaur and domestic cow, possibly Bos indicus or Bos taurus.

• Neither idea has been proved conclusively to date.

Distribution and Habitat Gayal Animal

The Gayals are mostly hill-forest dwellers. Several ethnic groups in India keep semi-domesticated gayals in the highlands of Tripura, Mizoram, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Nagaland. The Chittagong Hill Tracts also have them. They are exclusively found in the Trung and Salween River basins in nearby Yunnan, and in Kachin State in northern Burma.

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Many residents of these places, who combine Mithun management with sago palm harvesting, value the role of the Mithun.

The Mithun, or gayal (Bos frontalis), is the most prominent animal exploited by Easter. Although livestock is highly characteristic of the high Himalayan way of life in general, with yaks and sheep being the predominant species until recently, the Mithun, or gayal, is the most prominent animal exploited by Easter.

The Mithun is a semi-domesticated animal that is kept in gated forest regions rather than in or near villages. Mithun is primarily imported outside of North East India for the purpose of cross-breeding with other bovids, such as in Bhutan. The inference is that the semi-wild Mithun was seen as the system's core species, while real domesticates such as cattle, which arrived later, were regarded as peripheral.

The animals in Nagaland are maintained semi-wild and live in herds, under the supervision of special caretakers assigned by the communities or the herd's owner. They respond to a horn that is kept specifically for the caretaker or actual owner to use to summon them. The Mithun remain with the herd from birth until slaughtering or market, roaming primarily freely throughout the woodlands.

The possession of gayal is the traditional measure of a family's wealth for the Idu Mishmi, Nyishi, or Adi people (Bangni-Booker Lhobas incl pasi, padam, minyong, Galong now Galo). Gayal are not milked or forced to work; instead, they are provided with additional care while grazing in the forests until they are ritually slaughtered or murdered for local sustenance. Mithuns are wild, and each family has an ear cut that is unique to them.

The gayal is Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland's state animal. In Arunachal Pradesh, gayals play an essential role in people's social lives. Marriages are not finalised until the bridegroom's family gives the bride's family at least one gayal.

Gayals are released into the woods, where they normally stick to a small area. When it comes to calves, females are usually violent, and there have been reports of individuals being badly harmed after being gored by one. Males are more docile than females.

The tribes of the Chin-Kuki-Mizo name it Sial, Siel, Se/Sia in Mizoram and Manipur. It is the most important and valuable commodity; a person's wealth is frequently measured in gayals. It is the only animal utilised for merit feasts and sacrificial purposes. When a person holds a community feast of one or more gayal on one or more occasions, the tribes regard him as honourable.

Strains of Gayal Animal

In India, there are two unique sorts of Mithuns, each named for the state in where they originated. There have also been reports of these two separate varieties. Scientists have identified four unique Mithun strains, which they have dubbed Arunachalee, Mizorami, Nagami, and Manipuri. The names refer to their ancestral home in India's northeastern states. Four separate strains of Mithun have been detected in the North-Eastern Hills of India, according to a survey done by the National Research Centre on Mithun to discover different strains of Mithun. The phenotypic characterisation of these four strains was done using 37 phenotypic features, while the genetic characterisation was done using RAPD. The findings pointed to genotypic variations between four strains.

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Mating in Gayals

The gayal mating system is poorly understood. Throughout the year, these mammals reproduce. Females normally give birth to a single calf after a 270-290 day gestation period. There is also little information concerning parental care and child-rearing. Males are ready to reproduce when they are 3-4 years old, while females are reproductively mature when they are 40-48 months old.

Gayals are said to be descended from wild gaur and date back more than 8000 years. These creatures play an essential role in the local people's social, cultural, and economic lives. The possession of a gayal is regarded as a symbol of the family's prosperity and wealth. These animals are mostly raised for meat by farmers. Gayals are also utilised as a wedding gift and as a sacrificial animal in a variety of social and cultural rites.

Role of Gayal in Environment

India, in general, and North-East India, in particular, is a hotspot of floral and faunal biodiversity, as well as the home of a number of endemic species. Mithun (Bos frontalis) is an important species that require assistance for good reproduction. However, due to the loss of free-range and biotic and abiotic stress, scientific intervention is urgently required for proper management and conservation of this lovely highland mammal through the implementation of an effective conservation programme. Biotechnologies such as cryopreservation of sperm and embryos, as well as artificial insemination and embryo transfer, are major potential instruments for animal species preservation. The frozen sperm technique is a powerful tool for preserving male germplasm in vitro.

Mithun is a large semi-domesticated uncommon ruminant species that is mostly used for meat production. This Southeast Asian hill animal with a powerful build plays a crucial role in the local population's socioeconomic and cultural lives. Mithun meat is thought to be more delicate and superior than meat from other animals in India. Currently, Mithun farmers raise this animal in its natural environment at an altitude of 1000 to 3000 metres above mean sea level, in free grazing conditions. Due to the gradual deforestation of forests (Mithun's natural habitat) and the tremendous socio-economic and cultural importance of Mithun in the lives of the local tribal population, initiatives to popularise economic Mithun farming under semi-intensive conditions with controlled breeding have recently been taken. 

While the wild Indian Gaur, Mithun's ancestor, is endangered, Mithuns are experiencing non-cyclical population declines and local-regional contractions, indicating that this species or its population is not yet endangered but may become so in the near future. Inbreeding can occur as a result of a decrease in population size, which can diminish reproductive fitness, including fecundity. 

Furthermore, the current free-ranging Mithun raising strategy allows a small number of these animals to graze in a specific hill pocket without migrating to other areas or vice versa, resulting in significant inbreeding in this species. Population vitality and the ability to adjust to environmental change are boosted when genetic variation is maintained or increased. Crossbreeding with local cattle while grazing with Mithun in the same forest region increased the risk of loss of species distinctiveness and specialised adaptive and fitness qualities, as well as failure to respond in captivity due to behavioural difficulties connected with confinement. Furthermore, the routine slaughter of Mithun for meat has recently posed an additional threat to the species' future population size.

Farmers are more concerned about Mithun's growth rate because it is a meat animal. With proper nutrition, this animal's growth rate ranges from 300 to 600 grammes per day, which is equivalent to cattle and buffalo. Mithun, on the other hand, has a substantially greater plasma growth hormone content (30-90 ng/ ml) than any other domesticated animal. In tribal society, eating Mithun flesh is not a common occurrence. Only during big social ceremonies and celebrations are these animals slaughtered for meat. However, Mithun meat is in high demand, and buyers see it as more delicate and superior to meat from any other species except pork. In Mithun, the percentage of people dressed varies from 48 to 54 percent depending on their age. However, it is recommended that Mithuns be slaughtered when they are 4 to 5 years old in order to attain the best dressing percentage. There is a lot of potential in using this meat to create value-added meat products. The National Research Centre on Mithun has already standardised the production of value-added meat products such as meat nuggets, meat powder, meat patties, and meat blocks. The institute's organoleptic test on these goods yielded a high score of 6-7 on a scale of 1 to 8.

Consumption of Mithun milk is currently not a common habit among Mithun breeders. Mithun produces 1 to 1.5 kilogrammes of milk each day. Mithun milk, on the other hand, is nutritionally superior to that of any other domesticated animal, as it has a high percentage of fat (8 to 13%), solid-not-fat (18 to 24%), and protein (5 to 7 percent ). 

As a result, Mithun has the potential to be promoted in these hilly locations as a relatively good milk animal for household consumption. Mithun milk may be used to make a variety of value-added milk products, including paneer, various sweet goods, ghee, cream, curd, and cheese, due to its high fat and protein content. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research's flagship institute, the National Research Center on Mithun, has effectively standardised the method of creating paneer, barfi, rasgulla, curd, and lassi from Mithun milk.

The National Research Centre on Mithun has successfully processed various types of Mithun skin into leather. Mithun hide has been discovered to be excellent for upper shoe leather, bag leather, and garment leather manufacture. Cow leather has been discovered to be inferior to bag leather. Furthermore, Mithun hides with hairs might make a fantastic exotic sofa outer cover.

Need for the Conservation of Gayals

The management of the biosphere for human use so that it can provide the maximum long-term value to current generations while still remaining capable of meeting the needs and ambitions of future generations. Conservation is thus a positive concept that encompasses the preservation, upkeep, sustainable use, restoration, and enhancement of the natural environment. Sheep, goats, cattle, pigs, buffalo, and poultry are all considered animal genetic resources by the FAO. 

Horses, donkeys, camels, elephants, reindeer, and other tamed animals receive less attention and are sometimes dismissed as irrelevant. In truth, the FAO definition encompasses all domesticated species, as well as those on the cusp of domestication or with the potential to be domesticated. It includes a variety of Asian ungulates such as the Banteng, Mithun, Yak, and Gaur, among others.

Did you know that

• In comparison to traditional cow hide, Mithun hide is found to be of a higher grade.

• In 2017, a study of the gayal's genome was published.