Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Parshottam Rupala on March 12 addressed the Saurashtra Maldhari Sammelan, organised bySahjeevan (Centre for Pastoralism), at Upleta in Rajkot district of Gujarat.
- The conference deliberated upon the conservation of threatened breeds of livestock, particularly the Halari breed of Donkey (breeding tract: Jamnagar and Devbhoomi Dwarka districts of Gujarat).
What is Halari Donkey?
- Halari Donkey is one of the important livestock in the semi-arid landscape of Saurashtra’s Jamnagar and Dwarka district of the state of Gujarat.
- The Bharwad and Rabari pastoralists are the main communities which use this donkey as a pack animal to carry luggage during migration with small ruminants.
- These pastoralists regularly migrate to other districts. Pastoral women, generally, take care of Halari donkeys.
- The Kumbhar (potter) community also uses this animal for pottery work in Dwarka in the, Jamnagar region.
- This elegant donkey from Halar region of Saurashtra is currently in a threatened state and requires immediate steps towards conservation to reverse the declining trend in the population.
- A survey of Halari Donkey and its keepers in 2015 found that 1200 individuals of the breed were existing. However, in the recent survey conducted in 2021-22 the number dwindled to 439 individuals in its native tract.
- After intensive focus group discussions with the Halari donkey keepers’ different challenges have been brought out to the fore. Notable of them are the unavailability of Halari Donkey male for breeding, disincentives to Halari Donkey rearers with no avenues associated with streamlining the livelihoods (based on donkey milk).
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