MANGALURU: Moved by the plight of donkeys, a harmless but much-neglected animal, a 42-year-old man has started a donkey farming and breeding centre on the outskirts of Mangaluru. The centre is the first-of-its-kind in Karnataka and second such centre in India after one at Ernakulam in Kerala. Srinivas Gowda, a native of Ramanagara near Bengaluru, has come a long way.
After dabbling in various occupations, Gowda, a BA graduate, first started Aisiri farms, an integrated agriculture and animal husbandry, veterinary services, training and fodder development centre on a 2.3 acre plot at Ira village in Bantwal taluk. He first started with goat farming in 2020 during the pandemic after quitting his job at a software firm.
The farm which already breeds rabbits and Kadaknath chicken is now home to 20 donkeys. The population of donkeys has dropped from 3,60,000 in 2012 to 1,27,000 in 2019. Earlier, it was used by dhobis but now due to laundry machines and other technology available, the species is becoming rare.
“When I planned to start donkey farming, there was a lot of criticism. Many people made fun of us. However, a donkey too is a living being. We call them Jack and Jennet (male and female),” Gowda says. He also intends to supply donkey’s milk to people.
“Donkey’s milk has medicinal value. A 30ml of milk packet costs Rs 150 and by next month, we will supply it to supermarkets, malls and shops,” he says. Gowda intends to sell donkey’s milk for beauty products too and says he has received orders worth Rs 17 lakh.