Big win! ‘Periyar Kullan’ gets national recognition as Kerala’s second indigenous cattle breed

KOCHI: Bringing joy to around 200 farmers in Ernakulam and Thrissur who have been working for its conservation, Periyar cow, aka Periyar Kullan, has been recognised as a cattle breed indigenous to Kerala.

Key points

• KVASU joined the ICAR Network Project on Animal Genetic Resources (AnGR) in November 2023 and began the study on Periyar cow in collaboration with ICAR NBAGR.
• Locally called Kuttampuzha cattle and Andukanni, Periyar cows are mainly seen in Koovappady, Angamaly, Kothamangalam and Chalakudy regions.
• The recognition follows three years of study by a team of researchers from Kerala University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences.
• Cose Kurien, who has been rearing 80 Periyar cows, remarked conservation efforts of almost a decade have now bore fruit.
• The Periyar breed has a dark brown colour which makes it stand out from other native varieties.

Notably, the ICAR National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources registered Periyar Cow as an indigenous cattle breed, making it the second to obtain the tag in the state after Vechur Cow. The recognition follows three years of study by a team of researchers from Kerala University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences.

Locally called Kuttampuzha cattle and Andukanni, Periyar cows are mainly seen in Koovappady, Angamaly, Kothamangalam and Chalakudy regions. With minimal human interaction, they thrive under semi-feral and silvopastoral condition (grazing in a single managed unit in vegetation comprising trees, shrubs and grass) rather than open pastures. They are small to medium in size and weigh between 150 and 200 kg. The Vechur cows weigh around 130kg.

"The Periyar breed has a dark brown colour which makes it stand out from other native varieties. Usually, the cows, once let out from sheds, wander around and graze in the plantation areas before returning to their farms by evening, " remarked R Thirupathy Venkatachalapathy, a professor of animal genetics & breeding and director of farms at Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU). "Those seen in forest fringes, the ones not reared by farmers, have some typical locations to seek shelter at night. Due to the breed's wandering behaviour, studying its features was a tough and time consuming process, " he stated.

Notably, the researchers remarked another feature they spotted was some Periyar cows have horns that don't grow upwards and instead hang around the ears. "This trait needs further study to understand how it happened and whether it is an adaptive mechanism, " Venkatachalapathy continued.

"The latest recognition is not just a registration of cattle breed at the national level, but a scientific validation of genetic resource. It is the farmers and labourers in Central Kerala's plantation regions who are real guardians of this breed, " he remarked.

KVASU joined the ICAR Network Project on Animal Genetic Resources (AnGR) in November 2023 and began the study on Periyar cow in collaboration with ICAR NBAGR. Venkatachalapathy remarked the recognition would act as foundation for further genetic improvement of the breed in a way that benefits the state's dairy farmers.

Cose Kurien, who has been rearing 80 Periyar cows, remarked conservation efforts of almost a decade have now bore fruit. "Plenty of farmers in the region have been conserving this cow variety out of love for it. Our ancestors employ to speak how the milk of Periyar cow was of great quality. Scientific study has proved it, " he remarked.

Taken together, the developments around big win! 'Periyar Kullan' gets national recognition as Kerala's second indigenous cattle point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.