Context:

  • Recently Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seen feeding the cows at his residence on the occasion of Pongal/ Makar Sankranti.
  • It is important to note that all the cattle seen in the pictures from the Prime Minister’s residence are of the Punganur breed of Andhra Pradesh.

About Punganur breed:

  • The Punganur breed is an indigenous breed which is native to the Punganoor, Vayalapadu, Madanapalli, and Palamaneer talukas of Chittoor district in the Rayalaseema region of southern Andhra Pradesh.
  • They are a unique dwarf breed which are considered as the shortest humped cattle in the world and their small size makes it easy to keep them at home.
  • Punganur dwarf cows can be white or grey, or of shades of light or dark brown.
  • They have small, crescent-shaped horns of about 10-15 cm length, which often curve backward and forward in male cattle and lateral and forward in female cattle of the breed.
  • Females have slightly longer horns than the males.
  • The 2019 livestock census recorded the largest number of this breed cows (8,806), in Andhra Pradesh, followed by Telangana (977), Karnataka (66), Kerala (15), Maharashtra (6), and Tamil Nadu (6).
  • In the 2012 livestock census Punganur breed cows were found only in Andhra Pradesh.

Conservation efforts:

  • The Centre and the Andhra Pradesh governments have taken multiple steps for the conservation of indigenous breeds such as Punganur.
  • The Andhra Pradesh government has provided financial support through the budget for the promotion of the Punganur breed.
  • The Centre has sanctioned funds for the establishment of Gokul Gram at the P V Narasimha Rao Telangana Veterinary University, Hyderabad for the promotion of Punganur and other indigenous breeds of cattle in Telangana.
Syllabus: Prelims