Bakharwal dog

Last updated
Bakharwal Dog
Bakarwal.jpg
female Bakharwal
Other namesBakherwal, Bakhrawal Mastiff, Kashmiri Sheepdog, Kashmiri Bakerwal Dog, Kashmiri Mastiff
OriginIndian subcontinent
Breed statusNot recognised as a breed by any major kennel club.
Traits
Height Males 61–76 cm (24–30 in)
Females 61–76 cm (24–30 in)
Weight 70–90 kg (150–200 lb)
Coat Double coat
Colour Black and tan, piebald, tri-colour
Litter size 1–3
Life span 6–12
Dog ( domestic dog )

The Bakharwal dog is a livestock guardian dog found in northern India. It is an ancient working Indian dog breed found in Ladakh and across the Pir Panjal Range of Jammu and Kashmir, India.

Contents

It has been bred by the Gaddis, Jats, Gujjar and Bakerwal castes, as well as other local people of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, for the purpose of guarding their flocks of goats, sheep and cattle, along with their houses, from centuries. [1]

While the Bakharwal Dog is mainly found in Jammu and Kashmir region, India. A recent study says that this breed is on the verge of extinction and has appealed to include this animal in the endangered species category by local communities. Of late, there were many cases when this mountain breed of dog contracted rabies or was shot by separatist militants. [2] [3]

History

bakarwal dog Image of bakarwal dog.jpg
bakarwal dog

The origin of the Bakharwal Dog lies in Ladakh, northern India, and found in the states of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. [4]

The Bakharwal Dog may be descended from crossbreeding the Tibetan Mastiff with the Indian pariah dog, though other scholars state that the Bakharwal Dog is the "oldest Indian Dog which since centuries has been surviving with the Kashmiri nomads."[ citation needed ]

The Bakharwal Dog has been targeted by separatist militants in the erstwhile Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, who shot the dogs to prevent them from alerting people of their intrusion. [3] [ dead link ]

These separatist militants prevented herdsmen from going to higher reaches, which caused many Bakharwal Dogs to catch disease and die.[ citation needed ]

General appearance

Bakharwal.jpg

Bakarwal is divided into two categories, general Bakarwal and Ladakhi Bakarwal. Bakarwal is a powerful, heavy bone, medium to large size dog. It is an agile and a sturdy breed, a typical mountain dog with a furry coat and plumy tail that gives it a majestic look. It looks like a medium version of Tibetan Mastiff.

It is mostly black, with white fur at the toes and chest. The dog has a vegetarian appetite that mainly includes bread made of rice chaff, maize and milk. Common colours are black and tan, red, fawn, pied, sable, white and brindle.

Females of the particular breed give birth to a single litter once a year, with the average size being three to four puppies. [4]

Utilisation

The Bakharwal Dog, along with the Gaddi Kutta, is particularly used for guarding sheep, protecting farms and homes in Himachal Pradesh as well as in Jammu and Kashmir. It is also used by the Indian Police in order to capture militants across the nation.

Bakharwal Dogs, the mountain dogs are an ancient breed of working dogs found in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Scientists believe that these may be amongst the oldest herding dogs having origins in Central Asia. They are bred by nomadic tribes as a livestock guardian dog and settlement protector.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kashmir</span> Territory disputed between China, India, and Pakistan

Kashmir is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompasses a larger area that includes the India-administered territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, the Pakistan-administered territories of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, and the Chinese-administered territories of Aksai Chin and the Trans-Karakoram Tract.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheep dog</span> Breed of working dog used to control sheep

A sheep dog or sheepdog is generally a dog or breed of dogs historically used in connection with the raising of sheep. These include livestock guardian dogs used to guard sheep and other livestock and herding dogs used to move, manage and control sheep and other livestock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tibetan Mastiff</span> Dog breed

The Tibetan Mastiff is a large size Tibetan dog breed. Its double coat is medium to long, subject to climate, and found in a wide variety of colors, including solid black, black and tan, various shades of red and bluish-gray, and sometimes with white markings around neck, chest and legs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hill station</span> Town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley

A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The English term was originally used mostly in colonial Asia, but also in Africa, for towns founded by European colonialists as refuges from the summer heat and, as Dale Kennedy observes about the Indian context, "the hill station (...) was seen as an exclusive British preserve: here it was possible to render the Indian into an outsider". The term is still used in present day, particularly in India, which has the largest number of hill stations, most are situated at an altitude of approximately 1,000 to 2,500 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kashmir Valley</span> Valley in Jammu & Kashmir, India

The Kashmir Valley, also known as the Vale of Kashmir, is an intermontane valley in northern Jammu and Kashmir, a region in Indian-administered Kashmir. The valley is surrounded by ranges of the Himalayas, bounded on the southwest by the Pir Panjal Range and on the northeast by the Greater Himalayan range. It is approximately 135 km (84 mi) long and 32 km (20 mi) wide, and drained by the Jhelum River. It forms the bulk of the Kashmir Division of Jammu and Kashmir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zaniskari</span> Indian breed of horse

The Zaniskari or Zanskari is a breed of small mountain horse or pony from Ladakh in northern India. It is named for the Zanskar valley or region in Kargil district. It is similar to the Spiti breed of Himachal Pradesh, but is better adapted to work at high altitude. Like the Spiti, it shows similarities to the Tibetan breeds living on the other side of the Himalayas in neighbouring Tibet. It is of medium size, and is often grey in colour. The breed is considered endangered, as there are only a few hundred alive today, and a conservation programme has been started at Padum, Zanskar, in the Kargil district of Ladakh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pir Panjal Range</span> Mountain range of the Lower Himalayas

The Pir Panjal Range is a range of mountains in the Lower Himalayan region located in the Western Himalayas of northern Indian subcontinent. It runs southeast to northwest between the Beas and Neelam/Kishanganga rivers, in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh and Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, with its northwestern end extending into territory administered by Pakistan. The Himalayas show a gradual elevation towards the Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal ranges. Pir Panjal is the largest and westernmost range of the Lesser Himalayas. Near the bank of the Sutlej River, it dissociates itself from the main Himalayan range and forms a divide between the Beas and Ravi rivers on one side and the Chenab on the other. Further west, the Pir Panjal range forms the southwestern boundary of the Kashmir Valley, separating it from the hills of Jammu region, forming a divide between the Jhelum and Chenab rivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bakarwal</span> Ethnic community in Jammu and Kashmir

The Bakarwal,Bakkarwal or Bakrawala, are a nomadic ethnic group who along with Gujjars, have been listed as Scheduled Tribes in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh since 1991. Bakerwal and Gujjar is the largest Muslim tribe and the third-largest ethnic community in the Indian part of Jammu and Kashmir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Himachal Pradesh</span>

The state of Himachal Pradesh is spread over an area 55,673 km2 (21,495 sq mi) and is bordered by Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on the north, Punjab on the southwest, Haryana on the south, Uttarakhand on the southeast, a small border with Uttar Pradesh in the south, and Tibet on the east. Entire Himachal Pradesh lies in the mountainous Himalaya region, rich in natural resources

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poonch (town)</span> Town in Jammu & Kashmir, India

Poonch, is a town and the administrative headquarters of the Poonch district, of the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which is part of the larger disputed territory of Kashmir. It is located near the Line of Control – the de facto border in the disputed region. Poonch shares a de facto border with the Poonch district of the Pakistan-administered, self-governing territory of Azad Kashmir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Himalayan Sheepdog</span> Working dog breed

The Himalayan Sheepdog, known locally by various names including the Bhote, Bangara or Gaddi Kutta, and sometimes called the Himalayan Mastiff, is a breed of livestock guardian dog from the Himalayas, covering India. The Himalayan Sheepdog is found in the Himalayan foothills from eastern Nepal to Kashmir. The breed is primarily used as a livestock guardian dog, protecting flocks of yak and sheep from various predators, and as a property guardian dog; unusually for a livestock guardian, the breed is also used to assist with herding. The Himalayan Sheepdog is also used to assist in hunting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Himalayan Region</span> Region in northern India

The Indian Himalayan Region is the section of the Himalayas within the Republic of India, spanning thirteen Indian states and union territories, namely Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, West Bengal, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh. The region is responsible for providing water to a large part of the Indian subcontinent and contains various flora and fauna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kulgam district</span> Kulgam, Jammu and Kashmir

Kulgam district is an administrative district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is in the Kashmir division and is located at a distance of 18 kilometres (11 mi) towards south-west of Anantnag. The district comprises block, tehsil and town of Kulgam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saach Pass</span>

Sach Pass is a 4,414-metre-high (14,482 ft) mountain pass in Chamba District, Himachal Pradesh, India on the Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas. It is 127 km (79 mi) from the District Headquarters. It connects the Chamba valley with the Pangi valleys of Himachal Pradesh, India. There is a helipad on the ascent towards Sach pass from Bairagarh of Himachal Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary</span> Wildlife Sanctuary in Jammu and Kashmir

Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary or Heerpora Wildlife Sanctuary is located, Hirpora in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir. It lies 12 km from Shopian town, 70 km (43 mi) south of Srinagar. It spreads over an area of 341 km2 (132 sq mi). It is bounded to the north by Lake Gumsar, northeast by Hirpora village, east by Rupri, south by Saransar and to the west by the Pir Panjal pass. The slopes are gentle to moderately steep on the eastern aspect and very steep with many cliffs on the higher northern and western aspect. The southern and southeastern portions are moderately steep. Heerpora wildlife sanctuary is one of the beautiful wildlife sanctuary in Jammu and Kashmir

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Himalayas</span> Western section of the Himalayas

The Western Himalayas refers to the western half of the Himalayas, in northwestern India and northern Pakistan. Four of the five tributaries of the Indus River in Punjab rise in the Western Himalayas; while the fifth, the Sutlej cuts through the range after rising in Tibet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)</span> Region administered by India

Jammu and Kashmir is a region administered by India as a union territory and consists of the southern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and between India and China since 1959. The Line of Control separates Jammu and Kashmir from the Pakistani-administered territories of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan in the west and north. It lies to the north of the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab and to the west of Ladakh which is administered by India as a union territory.

The Pahari people or Pahari-speaking people is a cover term for a number of heterogeneous communities inhabiting in Jammu and Kashmir and also some parts of Pakistan administered Azad Kashmir who speak Pahari languages/dialects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pir Panjal Region</span> Region in Jammu and Kashmir, India

The Pir Panjal Region is a region located in the southwestern part of the Pir Panjal Range in the Jammu Division of the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This name particularly refers to the districts of Poonch and Rajouri.

References

  1. "Bakharwal Training". Precision K9 Work. Retrieved 20 March 2019. The Bakharwal dog probably originated in Ladakh and was bred in the Pir Panjal Mountains, India, and it has been known as a working breed.
  2. Bukhari, Shujaat (16 November 2011). "Fear of Bakerwali dog going extinct". The Hindu . Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  3. 1 2 "The last of Bakharwal dogs". Merinews. 20 April 2018. Archived from the original on 8 May 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2019. But, since 1990 a steep decline in number of Bakharwal shepherded dogs was found as hundreds of dogs were killed during insurgency in the higher regions of the state.
  4. 1 2 "Bakharwal Dog: Stubborn, Fierce, and Fluffy – Complete Guide to the Himalayan Mastiff". The Smart Canine. Retrieved 20 March 2019. The Bakharwal dog is one of the most fascinating dog breeds originating from Northern India.