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A family’s love for indigenous breeds of cattle

23 head of cattle are being reared in a farm house near Udupi Three generations of a family have been conserving and breeding indigenous breeds of cattle here. The family has 23 head of cattle of Gir, Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, and Ongole breeds at Uppinakote village, about 18 km from Udupi. They are being reared in the farm house of 36-year-old Mohammed Irshad Abideen. His younger brothers, Naushad Ahmed, Mumshad Alam, and Sheik Mudassar, are supporting him in running the farm house. Explaining their love for native breeds of cattle, Mr. Abideen said his grandfather Hanif Shah Saheb used to rear Malnad Gidda. His father, Jainulla Abideen, who used to rear Jersey and HF breeds for some time, later shifted to Malnad Gidda, Punganur, and Sahiwal breeds. Mr. Abideen was engaged in helping his father ever since he completed his second year pre-university course. However, the family’s interest in indigenous cattle took a leap when Mr. Ahmed, who works as an engineer in Saudi Arabia, had gone

Lack of grazing grounds could halt rise in Toda buffalo population in the Nilgiris

TAMIL NADU Lack of grazing grounds could halt rise in Toda buffalo population in the Nilgiris Rohan Premkumar UDHAGAMANDALAM, April 25, 2019 00:00 IST Updated: April 25, 2019 04:20 IST Share Article PRINT A A A Vanishing grasslands :Toda buffaloes grazing at Thalaikundah near Udhagamandalam.M . SathyamoorthyM_ Sathyamoorthy Vanishing grasslands :Toda buffaloes grazing at Thalaikundah near Udhagamandalam.M . SathyamoorthyM_ Sathyamoorthy Wattle and pine trees have spread over much of the grasslands The population of the Toda buffalo at Muthanadu Mund near Udhagamandalam, which saw a slight rebound in the last few years, is being limited due to a lack of grazing grounds for the herd, local Toda residents said. Members of the tribe residing in the village, which is known as the “Motherland of the Todas” due to its importance in Toda culture, told The Hindu that the population of the buffaloes had seen a slight increase over the last few years to around 70 heads, from a