Mithun Husbandry Rearing Practices : Importance of the Mithun(Bos Frontalis) in North-eastern hilly region of India
Mithun, also known as ‘Cattle of Mountain” is an important bovine species of north-eastern hill region of India and also of China, Myanmar, Bhutan and Bangladesh.This magnificent massive bovine is presently reared under free-range condition in the hill forests at an altitude of 1000 to 3000 m above mean sea level.
Mithun plays an important role in the socio-economic and cultural life of the local tribal population. Presently, this animal is mainly reared for meat, which is considered to be more tender and superior over the meat of any other species.
Mithun milk, though produced less in quantity, is of high quality and can be used for preparation of various milk products. Leather obtained from this species has been found to be superior to cattle.
India at large and specifically the North-East India is the hotspot of floral and faunal biodiversity and the habitat of a number endemic species. Of these species, Mithun (Bos frontalis) is an important one which needs support for healthy propagation. However, due to denudation of free range along with the biotic and abiotic stress, there is urgent need of scientific intervention for proper management as well as conservation of this beautiful hill animal through implementing an effective conservation programme. Biotechnologies such as cryopreservation of semen and embryos, coupled with artificial insemination and embryo transfer are important potential tools for the preservation of animal biodiversity. Frozen semen technology offers a very potent means of in vitro conservation of male germplasm.
Mithun is a massive semi-domesticated rare ruminant species mainly reared for meat. This strongly built hill animal of Southeast Asia plays an important role in the socio-economic and cultural life of the local population (Simoons 1984, Mondal and Pal 1999, Mondal et al 2004, 2005a-e, 2006a-f, 2008, 2010). In India, Mithun meat is considered to be more tender and superior over the meat of any other species. At present, Mithun farmers rear this animal at an altitude of 1000 to 3000 meters above mean sea level under free grazing condition in its natural habitat. Due to gradual denudation of forests (natural habitat of Mithun) and tremendous socio-economic and cultural importance of Mithun in the life of the local tribal population, very recently initiatives are being taken to popularise economic Mithun farming under semi-intensive condition with controlled breeding. While wild Indian Gaur, the ancestor of Mithun, is in a vulnerable position (Baillie and Groombridge 1996), Mithuns are subject to non-cyclical population decrease and local-regional contractions, indicative of this species or its population that are not yet endangered, but may become so in the near future. With a decline in population size, inbreeding can occur which, in turn, can reduce reproductive fitness (Nei et al 1975), including fecundity and survivability (Ralls and Ballon 1986). Furthermore, the present free ranging Mithun rearing system permits grazing of limited number of these animals in a particular hill pocket without any migration to other locations and vice versa that results in considerable inbreeding in this species. When genetic variation is maintained or increased, population vigour and the ability to adapt to environmental change are enhanced. Grazing of local cattle together with Mithun in the same forest area increased the chance of crossbreeding with the local cattle that may result in a loss of species uniqueness and specialized adaptive and fitness traits, and failure to response in captivity owing to behavioural problems associated with confinement (Hediger 1965). In addition, very recently slaughtering of Mithun on regular basis for meat imposed further threat on the future population size of this species.
Origin and distribution of Mithun
Mithun is believed to have originated more than 8000 years ago and considered to be descendent from wild Indian gaur (Simoons 1984, Mondal and Pal 1999). Mithuns are found over a large area of Southeast Asia. Beside meat, Mithuns are reared for sacrificial purposes and/or for barter trade. Their natural habitat is the forests of highlands. In some folklore, Mithun has been said to be the descendent of the Sun. Different interesting and divergent legends are available on the origin of Mithun among different tribes. Even today, Mithun is used as a holy sacrificial animal to appease the Gods by the tribesman. Mithun, a unique bovine species has a limited geographical distribution. It is mainly found in the tropical rain forests of North Eastern hilly states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram of India
Besides, it is also available in small numbers in Myanmar, China, Bangladesh and Bhutan (Diagram 1). At present, the population of Mithun in India is approximately 0.26 million. In the North Eastern Hill Region (NEHR) of India, Mithuns are distributed in four different States namely Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. As per the quinquennial All India Livestock Census (1997), India had a total population of 1,76,893 Mithuns. Of the total population, the Arunachal State alone had 70.25% (1,24,194 heads). The Nagaland State had 18.86% (33,445 heads) followed by Manipur (9.42%; 16,660 heads) and Mizoram States (1.47%; 2,594 heads). It was seen from the census of the year 2003 that the country possessed 2,46,315 numbers of Mithun, which registered a growth rate of only 6.5% per year over the population reported in 1997 census and this growth rate is far below than those recorded during last census in 1997 over 1991 (growth rate: 24.56%) indicating declining trend of population of Mithun growth rates over the decades. In the recent census (2007), it has been noted that except Arunachal Pradesh, in all other three Mithun-inhabited States, percent contribution declined very drastically, particularly in Mizoram State, where the total number of Mithuns are less than 2000 heads (Table 1). These data suggest an immediate developmental and research attention to this species of animal through proper scientific rearing.
| Table 1. Recent trends in Mithun population in India | |||
| State | 1997 | 2003 | 2007 |
| Arunachal | 124,194 | 184,343 | 218,931 |
| Nagaland | 33,445 | 40,452 | 33,385 |
| Manipur | 16,660 | 19,737 | 10,024 |
| Mizoram | 2,594 | 1,783 | 1,939 |
| Total | 176,893 | 246,315 | 264,279 |
This animal prefers cold and mild climate. They are browsers like goats and can utilize coarse fodders, which are generally not consumed by other livestock. This is a very fertile animal, which can produce one calf in a year with age at puberty varying from 22 to 30 months. Their productive life ranges from 16 to 18 years. This is an underutilized animal and has a great potential for quality meat, milk and leather production. The quality of meat, milk as well as leather of this animal is very good and there is a great scope to promote this animal as an organic meat and milk producer. This animal is also used as bridal gift as well as in barter trade and the milk producing capacity of this animal also needs to be explored.
The North East India is a hotspot of a rare bovine species, Mithun or Gayal (Bos frontalis). It is an important endemic species mainly found in forests of North Eastern hilly States and neighboring countries like Myanmar, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Yunnan (China), Thailand and Malaysia. In India, mithun is considered not just an animal but a matter of pride, status, values and preference.
It is exclusively reared by indigenous tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Nizoram and Manipur. Mithun is popularly known as ‘Cattle of Mountain’ and needs a habitat of dense and evergreen hilly forest to thrive. With a narrow geographic range and small population, at present, mithun is considered a species vulnerable to extinction. Mithun plays a central role in socio-economic and cultural life of tribal people.
It is the State animal of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. The official emblem of Nagaland Government depicts a majestic mithun standing on a green hilly landscape. In this insignia, mithun is a symbol of health and wealth of Nagas.
In Assamese, mithun is called ‘Methon‘, it is called ‘Eso‘ or ‘Hoho‘ or ‘Sebe‘ in Arunachal Pradesh, the Mizos call it ‘Sial‘, it is called ‘Sandang‘ in Manipur and ‘wei‘ and ‘seizang‘ among Naga tribes of Manipur. Mithun farming is an important activity intrinsically linked to sustainable livelihood in North East India.
Origin of mithun
This is quite complex and ambiguous. It is believed that approximately 6-8 thousand years ago, mithun originated on India-Myanmar frontier areas, however, no information is available on its domestication for the first time. At present, there are three major but conflicting hypotheses on origin of mithun.
In first hypothesis, it has been postulated that mithun originated from direct domestication of wild gaur (Bos gaurus). This is the most widely accepted assumption and is well supported by similar appearance of mithun and gaur. The second hypothesis presumes mithun is a hybrid originating from cross-breeding between wild gaur and domestic cattle (B. indicus or B. taurus).
The third hypothesis assumes that mithun originated from a wild bovid which is now extinct. However, till today, none of the hypotheses is proven conclusively. A recent study at ICAR-National Research Centre on Mithun, Nagaland revealed a common origin of mithun and wild gaur from an ancient and extinct bovine species based on mitochondrial genome sequencing.
Population of mithun in India
According to 20th livestock census (2019), mithun population has shown a growth rate of 26.66% over the preceding census (2012). Currently, total mithun population in the country is 0.38 million. Between 2012 and 2019, male population of mithun grew at a faster rate (30.76%) than female population (23.52%).
In India, total male and female mithun population is 0.17 and 0.21 million, respectively. Arunachal Pradesh (0.35million) has the highest mithun population followed by Nagaland (0.023 million), Manipur (0.0009 million) and Mizoram (0.004 million).
Behavioral and morphological characteristics of mithun
Mithun is a majestic ruminant inhabiting hilly forests at an altitude of 1000-3000 m. It is a mammalian species belonging to family Bovidae and order ungulate (hoofed mammal). This large herbivore is capable of browsing efficiently even in steep hilly slopes and does not require pasture land like other bovine species. The farmers rear mithuns in forests under free grazing system where they eat a variety of grasses, tree leaves and young plants.
They do not offer other feed and fodder to mithuns, however, occasionally fed salt to mithuns especially when they need to be restrained. Mithun has a great liking for salt feeding. In general, mithuns are reared in forests in community herbs where mithuns of different owners graze together.
The forest areas are often fenced and few herdsmen are appointed by village council for supervision of mithuns in the forests during daytime and bringing them back to village at night. Mithun is a selective browser, travels for long distance in forests in search of fodder and consumes up to 30 kg/day.
Mithun is mainly reared for meat purpose. It is often slaughtered for high quality organic meat during marriage ceremonies, religious festivals, elections and community feasts. Therefore, mithun is popularly known as ‘Ceremonial Cattle’.
Mithun is regarded as a last resort of money and sold by poor farmers at the time of adversity to fulfill money requirement for children’s education and health emergencies. It is also used for barter trade purpose apart from paying find, ransom and price of bride by groom’s family (bridal gift).
From ancient times, it is believed that mithun is related to indigenous tribal culture and in some folklores, mithun is regarded as descendant of sun. Mithun plays an important role in social, economic and cultural life of tribal population. Mithun ownership is still considered as symbol of prestige and prosperity in North East India.
Mithun is very shy in nature and a medium to large sized ruminant species which in external appearance resembles domestic cattle and buffalo. The visual appearance of mithun is similar to wild gaur (also called Indian bison) except for the body shape and horns. Mithun is smaller in size than gaur while its horns are more or less straight in comparison to curved horns of gaur.
In general, mithun is characterized by a big head, heavy body and strong legs. The forehead is usually broad and concave. Mithun is found in various body colors but black is the most abundant color. The jet black body with ash colored forehead and white stockings in all the legs is a characteristic feature of typical mithun. However, white stockings develop and become visible in mithun calves only after four months of age.
The newborn calves are golden yellow and brown in color, however, as the age advances, adults become jet black to dark brown colored. The hump is absent in mithun and also, its tail and legs are smaller in comparison to domestic cattle. The ears are broad and dewlap is large sized in mithun. The average body weight of adult mithun aged 4-5 years is usually 400-500 kg. The maximum life span of mithun in India is recorded to be 15 years.
The healthy and sexually mature mithun female periodically undergoes an estrus cycle of 19-24 days until it gets pregnant. During estrus, mithun female comes into heat but it does not exhibit clear signs of heat. Therefore, it is known as ‘silent Heat’ and quite difficult to identify a mithun female in heat based on visual signs.
Mithun does not prefer a definite season for breeding and a healthy adult mithun can breed throughout the year. The average age of puberty is 18-24 months and the breeding age of mithun bulls is 3-4 years. The gestation length is 270-290 days and normally, it gives birth to one calf at a time. The newborn mithun calf often weighs 18-25 kg.
Strains of Mithun
As described by Verma (1996), two distinct types of Mithuns are available in India and they were named after the name of the State where they belong (Nagami and Arunachali). These two distinctive types have also been reported by Arora (1998). However, Bhusan et al (2000) have identified four distinct strains of Mithun and named them as Arunachalee, Mizorami, Nagami and Manipuri strain. The names indicate their home tract in northeastern States of India. As per the survey conducted by the National Research Centre on Mithun to identify different strains of Mithun in North Eastern Hills of India, four different strains have been identified (Figure 1). Characterization of these four different strains has been done based on 37 phenotypic characters and genetic characterization was done through RAPD. Results were suggestive of genotypic difference among four different strains.
Socioeconomic importance of Mithun
Mithun is considered as the pride of North Eastern Hilly region of India. This animal plays an important role in the social, cultural and economic life of the local tribal population. The ownership of Mithun is considered to be the sign of prosperity and superiority of an individual in the society. Farmers mainly rear Mithun for meat purpose. Besides, this animal is also used as marriage gift and sacrificial animal for different social and cultural ceremonies. Though at present farmers do not consume its milk, this animal produces highly nutritious milk.
Being a meat animal the growth rate of Mithun is the prime concern of farmers. With adequate feeding the growth rate of this animal varies from 300 to 600 g/ day, which is comparable with cattle and buffalo. However, the plasma growth hormone concentration (30-90 ng/ ml) (Mondal et el 2004, 2005d, 2006a,c,d) is much higher in Mithun than in any other domesticated animals. The consumption of Mithun meat is not a regular practice in tribal society. These animals are sacrificed for meat only during important social ceremonies and festivals. However, there is a great demand for Mithun meat and consumers consider this meat as more tender and superior over the meat of any other species except pork. The dressing percentage in Mithun varies from 48 to 54 % in different age groups. However, to achieve an optimum dressing percentage, it is suggested to slaughter Mithuns at 4 to 5 years of age. There is a great scope to utilize this meat to make some value added meat products. The National Research Centre on Mithun has already standardised the process of making some value added products of meat like meat nuggets, meat powder, meat Patties as well as meat block. The organoleptic test conducted by the institute on these products revealed high scoring of 6-7 in the scale of 1-8.
Presently, the consumption of Mithun milk is not an accepted practice among its rearers. Mithun produces around 1 to 1.5 kg milk per day. However, Mithun milk is nutritionally superior to any other domesticated species as it contains high fat (8 to 13%), solid-not-fat (18 to 24%) and protein (5 to 7%). Hence, Mithun has a scope to be promoted as moderately good milk animal for home consumption in these hilly areas. Due to high fat and protein content in Mithun milk, it may be used for the preparation of different value added milk products such as paneer, various sweet products, ghee, cream, curd and cheese. The National Research Center on Mithun, the premier Institute of Indian Council of Agricultural Research, has successfully standardized the process of making paneer, barfi, rasgulla, curd and lassi from Mithun milk.
The quality of Mithun hide is found to be superior in comparison to the traditional cow hide (Das et al 2011). The National Research Centre on Mithun has successfully processed different varieties of leather from Mithun hide. Mithun hide has been found to be very good for the production of upper shoe leather, bag leather and garment leather. Bag leather has been found to be much superior to cow leather. Besides, Mithun hide with hairs could be an excellent exotic outer cover for a sofa.
Economic importance of mithun rearing ————
The tribal community those who possess the mithun are considered to be the sign of prosperity in that society. Besides, this animal for is also used as marriage gift and sacrificed animal for different cultural ceremonies and ritual consume meat. The milk produced by the mithun is meager in quantity but highly nutritious one. The meat of the mithun is called as Beef. It is tender and delicious, have rapid growth rate 300-600 gm/ day as compare with other livestock. The concentration of growth hormone in plasma is 30- 90 ng/ ml is much higher in mithun (Mondal et al, 2006). The consumption of meat by the tribal people is not the regular practice however they scarifies the meat during important social ceremonies and ritual. The dressing percentage of mithun is 45-55 per cent and varies according to age; it is advisable to slaughter the animal at the age of 4-5 years to receive maximum dressing percentage. The consumption of the mithun milk is not a routine practice however; mithun produces around 1- 1.5 kg milk/ day / animal (Nath and Verma, 2000) contains 3.4 -17 per cent of fat, 6.8-22.2 per cent SNF and 4.4-9.8 per cent protein, hence, mithun milk is superior from nutrition point of view, hence used to prepare different delicious milk products (Annual report, 2003-04). Mithun hide and skin is of very good quality than the cow leather having more value in tanning industry due to there toughness and longevity, therefore utilized for the production of goods like shoes, garments, bags, jackets, purses, attractive ornamental things and furniture covers etc.
Economic potential of mithun farming
To date, potential of mithun to produce meat, milk and leather is not fully explored and it remains as an underutilized animal in North East India. It is a need of hour to use mithun more for commercial than cultural purposes. Mithun farming has now become an important source of income. There exists a great scope to promote mithun farming as a valuable source of organic meat and milk. Also, mithun possesses immense potential for use as draught purpose animal in hilly tracts.
Mithun is an efficient converter of forest biomass into superior quality meat. The meat of mithun is softer and better than other available sources of meat. Being low in fat, mithun meat is good for human health. There is a vey high demand and preference of mithun meat among indigenous tribes. It is always advisable to slaughter mithun at the age of 4-5 years in order to get the highest amount of meat. Generally, the dressing percentage in mithun is 58-62%.
At present, consumption of mithun milk is unacceptable among tribal people an regarded as taboo. Mithun can produce 1-1.5 kg/day of milk. Mithun milk is thicker and more nutritious than milk of other domestic animals. It is rich in fat (8-13%), solids-not-fat (18-24%) and protein (5-7%). Based on energy value, 1 kg of mithun milk is equal to 2 kg of cow milk. High lactoferrin, an antimicrobial compound in mithun milk, is associated with its medicinal property.
Moreover, with technological intervention, mithun milk can be exploited to produce superior quality dairy products like cheese, curd, ghee, rasgulla, etc. due to its high protein content. Therefore, there is a need and extensive scope to promote mithun as a milch animal in northeast India. The spread of awareness in tribal population regarding milking of mithun and sale & consumption of mithun milk could be useful in poverty alleviation and improvement of economic status. Mithun milk provides nutritional security to poor farmers of northeast India.
The leather processed from skin of mithun is of superior quality due to its toughness and long life. This unique mithun leather has ample scope in tanning industry for production of expensive goods like bags, purses, jackets, shoes, etc. which can fetch a very high commercial value in national and international market.
Being a hardy and sure-footed animal, mithun is well suited for draught and pack purpose on steep slopes of hilly areas. Due to its outstanding work power, mithun could be used for various agricultural operations, land management and pulling carts in hilly landscapes. Thus, multi-dimensional mithun farming is important for socio-economic development of tribal population of northeast India.
Future prospect of mithun farming
Over the last few decades, increased defores- tation is constantly leading to a decline in mithun population in northeastern states of India. Moreover, declining population has increased the risk of inbreeding in mithun. Today, considering the socio-economic importance of mithun in tribal culture, special attention is being given to mithun conservation.
The need of time is to bring free ranging mithun under semi-intensive system and promote this scientific method of mithun rearing among indigenous tribes. At present, efforts are made to popularize semi-intensive system and controlled mithun breeding. Semi-intensive mithun farming is promoted as a profitable venture to sustain livelihoods of poor farmers.
Under semi-intensive system, adequate care, appropriate treatment and ample protection can be given to mithun calves, pregnant females and sick mithuns and hence, mortality rate can be minimized. For this, mithun sheds need to be built where mithuns can be housed at night time once they return from jungles after grazing during daytime. Furthermore, these sheds require availability of fodder and drinking water.
This semi-intensive farming enables detection of mithun females in heat and breeding with superior bulls. Likewise, artificial insemination (AI) is another emerging technique in mithun husbandry and is considered important for future breeding policies of mithun along with estrous synchronization.
Lastly development of new drugs and vaccines is regarded as one of the useful tools in mithun conservation apart from improved methods of disease prevention and control.
Rearing systems of mithun —————–
The farmers rear this animal at various altitudes between 1000-3000m MSL. The animal is exclusively maintained under free grazing condition. The animal can sustain on scanty fodder, shrubs, herbs and other natural visitations on free range condition following rotational grazing in hilly areas of mountain at various attitude between 1000-3000 m MSL. The tribal people do not provide any additional balanced ration mostly mithun owners keep these animals in a community hear or village panchyat assins mithun grazer to take care off their animals under free range conditions farmers also practice rotational grazing by shifting there animals from one region to another hilly areas of the mountains. The houses are constructed with locally available chief wooden material and the space requirement for the adult and young mithun is approximately 8-9 sq. meter and 5-6 sq. meters respectively.
Scientific rearing system
Currently farmers rear Mithun under free-grazing condition in the forest area without any additional housing or feeding facilities. Occasionally, farmers bring back the female Mithun just before parturition and send it back to the forest following parturition. However, it is suggested that even under a free-range system, a temporary housing structure using locally available materials can be constructed in some strategic locations in the Mithun rearing area. Mithun can also be trained to come to the shed at a particular time every day by providing little bit of concentrate and salt. This will be helpful for farmers to supervise, provide additional feeding and medication to their animals. Besides, farmers will also get an opportunity to look after the individual animal regularly for any kind of discrepancy or disorder. If farmers opt for semi-intensive system of rearing they should go for housing structures with feeding and watering provisions and they can also tie the animals at night once they come back from the forest after grazing. The supervision of individual animals, additional feeding, watering and medication can be done there in late evening or early morning.
Feeding management
Mithun thrives on the jungle forages, tree fodders, shrubs, herbs and other natural vegetations (Das et al 2010). Farmers do not provide any additional feeding. Though the animals are owned by the farmers, they are kept under natural forest in a semi-wild condition. However, farmers occasionally provide common salt, especially at the time of restraining for some purposes. Each individual owner can identify his Mithuns even though they do not bear any identification marks and similarly each Mithun knows his owner which is reflected in the fact that the Mithun approaches the owner periodically for salt. In other words, the owner does not have to invest anything in his Mithun as they are simply let loose in the forest which constitutes around 50 percent of total land area of the region. Owners generally keep Mithuns in community herd in fenced hilly jungle area and village councils assign Mithun grazers to take care of their animals.
As Mithun entirely depends on the locally available jungle fodders, special care should be taken in terms of mineral supplementation for better performances (Das et al 2010). In steep hilly slope, the leaching of mineral elements is a common phenomenon especially during rainy season. Therefore, in a particular hilly grazing gradient the soil will be deficient in some important mineral elements. In that case the vegetation of that particular area will also be deficient in some of the mineral elements, which may induce mineral deficiency. The only option to correct this situation is mineral supplementation. However, the salt licking behaviour as well as drinking of mineral water sources in the hills is the natural way to meet the requirement of minerals in these animals (Prakash et al 2013).
During the lean season, when availability of jungle fodders goes down, additional concentrate supplementation may be required. It is advisable that during the flush season when abundant fodders are available in the jungle, the salt and mineral mixture together may be fed additionally to the animals to avoid mineral deficiency. Whereas, during lean season additional concentrate feed (15% CP and 70% TDN) fortified with salt and mineral mixture (1 to 2 kg per animal daily up to 2 years and 2 to 4 kg per animal daily above 2 years) may be offered to maintain optimum performances (Das et al 2010). For lactating Mithun, as it produces less quantity of milk, no additional feeding is required. In free-range Mithun, these feed supplements may be provided to the animals in the shed constructed in strategic location in the grazing area. Whereas, for animals under semi intensive system the feed supplements may be provided in the shed in late evening or early morning whenever the animals are tied. It has been found that the drinking water requirement for Mithun is approximately 9% and 12% of body weight, during winter and summer respectively. Therefore, the provision of adequate drinking water according to this specification is highly essential.
Breeding management
Like cattle, Mithun is a poly-estrus animal. The healthy adult female Mithun show repeated estrus cycles at an interval of 19 to 24 days unless it is pregnant. The Mithun breeds throughout the year and no definite breeding season is observed in this species. The length of gestation period, service period and calving interval in Mithun varies from 270 to 290 days, 50 to 100 days and 350 to 400 days, respectively. The age at puberty and age at first calving varies from 27 to 36 months and 40 to 48 months, respectively. The Mithun bulls become mature to breed at 3 to 4 years of age. Under free-range system, a practical approach for selective breeding in Mithun is the introduction of superior and tested bulls (1 bull for 10 breedable females) in the herd and simultaneous culling of the unwanted bulls from the herd. Efforts should be made to replace breeding bulls preferably once in five years to avoid inbreeding depression. Under semi intensive system, the female can be detected in heat to be bred with superior bulls either through natural service or artificial insemination.
The expression of estrus behaviour is silent in Mithun (Mondal et al 2008). Unlike cattle, it is difficult to detect heat in Mithun through visual observations. Among all the behavioral signs of estrus, the mounting of Mithun bull over estrus cow is the best indicator of estrus followed by standing of estrus cow to be mounted by Mithun bull. Congestion of vulval mucous membrane and swelling of vulva are also important signs of estrus in Mithun cows. In contrast, other signs like mucous discharge, restlessness and alertness, tail raising, frequent urination and loss of appetite were found to be less prominent estrus signs in Mithun cows (Mondal et al 2008). Bellowing is not generally observed in Mithuns during estrus. The genital organ of Mithun cows during estrus reveals relaxed and open os externa of cervix, turgid uterus and ovaries having palpable follicles. However, it is suggested to use healthy Mithun bulls to detect heat. In Mithun, ovulation occurs between 20 to 31 hour after the onset of estrus (Mondal et al 2006b,e,f).
Common diseases in mithun————-
Like other bovines species mithun reared in semi-intensive system suffers from various infectious diseases like Tuberculosis, Para-tuberculosis, Brucellosis, Foot and Mouth disease (FMD), Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR), and Bovine Viral Diarrhea. (Rajkhowa et. al. 2003) which has tremendous detrimental effect on profitable mithun husbandry practices Regular deworming, vaccination and treatment of ailing animal is required to be under taken to keep the animals healthy. Leech infestation is common in mithun, to under take the treatment of it application of common salt solution in nasal cavity or ether inhalation or Ivermectin injection. Death may occur due to leech infestation in mithun, other non infectious diseases like tympany, debility, anemia; hypovitaminosis are very commonly observed and needs proper attention and supplementation to over come these ailments. Mithun is endangered species and scientific rearing and research is required to be to under taken to increase socio-economic status of tribal people in hilly areas of Northeastern region by increasing the production potential and performance of the animals. Further more emphasis should be undertaken to start with semi-intensive type of housing system by adopting better Managemental practices in mithun rearing (National Symposium on Buffalo for rural upliftment, 2006)
Conservation of Mithun
Keeping in view the dwindling population of Mithun over the years, it is of great priority for the Mithun inhabited states to conserve and propagate quality Mithun germplasm at faster rate to stabilize its population. There are three ways for the conservation of Mithun genetic resources: i) through cryopreservation of genetic material like living ova, embryos or semen; ii) preservation of genetic information as DNA; and iii) conservation of live population (in situ conservation).
The need for parallel conservation of Mithun genetic resources along with live animal conservation, as raw material for future breeding programmes, should be recognized and has become an important issue in planning of Mithun husbandry. Conservation is of particular concern in the Mithun inhibited regions where there is effort for agricultural change, thereby the risk of gradual replacement of indigenous stocks and farming methods by new techniques. These areas, where climatic extremes and particular parasitic conditions may result in genetically modified and unique local stocks which are able to survive under extreme conditions, need to be given proper attention. Such conservation efforts are particularly important in the light of predicted global climate change, and the ability of microbial and insect parasites to evolve and adapt to modern chemical control methods.
Need for conservation
“The management for human use of the biosphere so that it may yield the greatest sustainable benefit to present generations while maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations. Thus conservation is positive, embracing preservation, maintenance, sustainable utilization, restoration and enhancement of the natural environment.” (International Union for the Conservation of Nature 1980). The FAO definition of animal genetic resources includes sheep, goats, cattle, pigs, buffalo and poultry. Horses, donkeys, camels, elephants, reindeer and other domesticated animals are given less attention and are often considered to be of marginal interest. In fact the FAO definition includes all these domesticated species and those species on the fringe of domestication or with potential for domestication. It incorporates, for example, a number of Asian ungulates including the Banteng, Mithun, Yak and Gaur (Veitmeyer 1983).
Reason for conservation
The FAO definition of animal genetic resources eligible for conservation includes animal populations with economic potential, scientific use and cultural interest. Mithun fulfills all of these criteria. Populations like Mithun need conservation for their potential economic use in the future. Their economic potential is the production of meat and milk. This potential production may be in diverse climatic and environmental conditions. These adaptations may be beneficial in other areas of the world where similar or complementary conditions exist. From the cultural point of view, Mithuns are of great importance, being used for marriage gift and also serving as a prestigious asset of the owner.
Economic potential cannot be measured by looking simply at performance. Mithun are highly adaptedto their environment and their performance should be measured comparatively, within their own environmental conditions. They should not be compared with other breeds of animals in improved or modified conditions or under intensive management. Furthermore, they should be examined with respect to the products for which they were selected and valued in the conditions under which they evolved.
Mithun should be conserved for their possible scientific use. This may include the use of conservation stocks as control populations, in order to monitor and identify advances and changes in the genetic makeup and production characteristics of selected stocks. The studies in National Research Centre on Mithun include physiology, nutrition and reproduction. Studies are also essential for climatic tolerance at the physiological and genetic level. Genetically distinct breeds are also needed for research into disease resistance and susceptibility which could help in the development of better medication or management of disease. It could also help with the identification of specific genes involved in natural disease or parasite control. Some populations may also be used as research models in other species, including man. This is already the case in the use of Ossabaw Island Hogs in the USA. These feral pigs from an isolated island off the east coast of the USA have been shown to have a natural insulin disorder making them a useful research model for human diabetes (Brisbin 1985).
Many populations have played an important role in specific periods of national or regional history. Mithun plays an important role in cultural ethos of tribal population of these North Eastern hill states of the country.
Objectives for conservation
The idea of conserving Mithun genetic resources may be focused on two separate but interlinked concepts. The first is the conservation of ‘genes’ and the second, the conservation of ‘breeds’ or populations. The conservation of ‘genes’ refers to action to ensure the survival of individual genetically controlled characteristics inherent within a population or group of populations. Such programmes require that a specific characteristic to be conserved is clearly recognized and identified. A characteristic can be identified in the appearance or function of the animals that exhibit it, and a programme can be developed to conserve it as a gene within the population.
The conservation of populations or breeds refers to actions to ensure the survival of a population of animals as defined by the range of genetically controlled characteristics that it exhibits. This form of conservation is applied to ensure the conservation of all the characteristics inherent with a given population, including many which may not have been recognized, defined, identified or monitored. The differences between breeds may often be due to differences in the frequency of quantitative genes rather than the presence or absence of unique genes. Such a difference in gene frequency may result in dramatically different populations with respect to appearance and production in a given environment. For conservation of this species, efforts have been made to collect and preserve Mithun semen in the National Research Centre on Mithun.
Ex situ versus in situ methods of conservation for Mithun
Ex situ preservation involves the conservation of Mithun in a situation removed from their normal habitat. It is used to refer to the collection and freezing in liquid nitrogen of animal genetic resources in the form of living semen, ova or embryos. It may also be the preservation of DNA segments in frozen blood or other tissues. Finally it may refer to captive breeding or other situations far removed from their indigenous environment.
In situ conservation is the maintenance of live populations of animals in their adaptive environment or as close to it as is practically possible. For domestic species the conservation of live animals is normally taken to be synonymous with in situ conservation
Ex situ conservation
In effect, this is the storage of animal genetic resources, which farmers are currently not interested in using. It includes cryogenic preservation and the maintenance of breeds from domesticated species as live-animal populations in parks, zoos and other locations away from the environment in which they are being developed. The global programmes on ex situ conservation strategy is still being developed, but it is based on the use of live-animal populations wherever practicable, supported by cryopreservation where technology exists or can be developed, combining within-country gene banks with global repositories of last resort. This strategy is in keeping with the Convention on Biological Diversity. A range of animal health issues must be overcome, however, before much international storage of and access to such material can be effective for the domestic animal species. The technology required for storing both male and female gametes of all species of interest is not yet developed. Of course, interested governments, non-governmental organizations, research institutions and private enterprises will be encouraged to maintain in vivo samples of breeds at risk, with national inventories being established and kept up to date so that the genetic resources are readily available for use and study.
The Importance of Mithun in Arunachal Pradesh
A bovine species mithun (Bos frontalis) is intricately related to the mythology of Arunachal Pradesh. This bovine is found in Arunachal Pradesh and other North East states like Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram besides Bhutan (Heli 1994).
In Arunachal Pradesh, mithun is akin to gold because it commands the highest value in the barter system. It is an essential part of festivals and dispute settlements in the society among Tanw people. Mithun is sacrificed in religious ceremonies and rituals as offering to the (supernatural) gods and goddesses (the saviour of human beings).
The divine is supposed to bless the tribe to increase the productivity of the crops and livestock, and save the human race from unnatural catastrophes like famine, epidemics and diseases. Mithun is believed to be the symbolic representative of peace and communal harmony; the Adi tribe observes Solung festival annually to commemorate the birth and arrival of the sacred animal on this earth. Traditionally, the ownership of mithun is considered to be a sign of prosperity and social status of an individual.
The mithun is sacred to the Nyishi, Apatani, Galo, Adi, Mishmi, Sherdukpen and other communities of the state. Like the cow is to many in the rest of India, some would say.
In his book Emerging Religious Identities of Arunachal Pradesh: A Study of the Nyishi Tribe, academic Nabam Tadar Rikam has said that while most tribal communities of the Himalayan state rear mithuns, it is the “most valued and sacred animal” for the Nyishi community.
Traditionally, the mithun figures prominently in the pantheon of powerful deities the Nyishis worship. According to Rikam, “Though every Nyishi family possesses mithuns in varying numbers, owning mithuns naturally adds to a person’s social status and stands good for those who are in shortage of foodgrains as it can be used for barter. Mithuns are a must in marriages, as it is the only medium of payment of bride price. Moreover, mithuns are considered sacred because mithun sacrifice is compulsory in all ceremonial rituals. Mithun is akin to gold for some Arunachali communities, commanding the highest value in the barter system.
the mithun is a symbol of “peace and communal harmony” and its sacrifice is said to usher in the prosperity and well-being of those for whom the act is intend cattle.
India had a total population of 1,76,893 Mithuns. Of the total population, the Arunachal State alone had 70.25% (1,24,194 heads). The Nagaland State had 18.86% (33,445 heads) followed by Manipur (9.42%; 16,660 heads) and Mizoram States (1.47%; 2,594 heads).
Conclusions
- Mithun husbandry in North Eastern hill region of India is an important component of the livestock production system. Scientific rearing of this species will not only support the need of protein but also help to generate extra income to the poor Mithun rearers for their livelihood. The need of the hour is, therefore, to popularize scientific farming in the states where Mithun rearing is an age-old practice. The recent success in the field of artificial insemination, estrus synchronization coupled with timed AI and embryo transfer technology will definitely help to go a long way to achieve the target of propagating quality germplasm in the farmers’ field.
EDITED & COMPILED BY-DR AB ADHIKARI & DR JK KALITA ,GUWAHATI
REFERENCE -ON REQUEST
