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.
The ICAR National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources registered Periyar Cow as an indigenous cattle breed, making it the second to get 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,” said 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 difficult and time consuming process,” he said.
The researchers said 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 added.
“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 said.
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 said 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, said conservation efforts of almost a decade have now bore fruit. “Many farmers in the region have been conserving this cow variety out of love for it. Our ancestors use to speak how the milk of Periyar cow was of great quality. Scientific study has proved it,” he said.
Know-cow
Periyar cow population: Around 1,000 in central Kerala farms
Average milk yield: 2.5 to 4 litres
Milk is classified as A2 Beta casein, the healthiest variety
It contains 4.5% fat and 9.1% SNF (Solids Not Fat)
First breeding usually occurs at 26 months and first calving at 35 months. Gestation period is 279 days.