Meet the Punganur, dwarf cows that PM Modi fed on Makar Sankranti

What is the Punganur breed, and where are these cattle found?

The Punganur is an indigenous breed 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, considered the shortest humped cattle in the world. Their small size makes it easy to keep them at home.

Punganur cows can be white or grey, or of shades of light or dark brown. They have small, crescent-shaped horns of 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 stumpier ones in males.

How numerous is this breed of indigenous cattle?

The Punganur were once on the verge of extinction, and their numbers had fallen below 3,000 heads of cattle across the country. However, in recent years, these numbers have increased.

In the breed-wise report of livestock and poultry in the 20th Livestock Census conducted in 2019, the total number of Punganur was recorded at 13,275, which included 9,876 pure and 3,399 graded heads of cattle.

This was a significant improvement over the numbers of the 19th Livestock Census conducted in 2012, in which just 2,828 Punganur were recorded, including 2,772 pure and 56 graded breed.

PM Modi with the cows on January 14. (PTI photo)

Of the pure breed of Punganur, the 2019 livestock census recorded the largest number, 8,806, in Andhra Pradesh, followed by Telangana (977), Karnataka (66), Kerala (15), Maharashtra (6), and Tamil Nadu (6). In the Punganur graded category too, the largest numbers were recorded in Andhra Pradesh (2,725), followed by Telangana (399), Karnataka (351), Tamil Nadu (10), and Kerala (4).

In the 2012 livestock census Punganur were found only in Andhra Pradesh.

What conservation efforts have been made with regard to this breed?

The Centre and the Andhra Pradesh governments have taken several steps for the conservation of indigenous breeds such as Punganur.

The Andhra Pradesh government has provided financial support through its budget for the promotion of the Punganur breed, and 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.

The National Kamdhenu Breeding Centre (NKBC) for the southern region has been established at Chintaladevi, Nellore, in Andhra Pradesh.