The black gem of Kerala
The Attappady black goat hales from the Palakkad district of Kerala. This district is home to the Irula, Muduka and Kurumba tribal communities. The economy of this region is primarily dependent on goat rearing clubbed with a few other agricultural activities.
Specialty
The Attappady breed, locally known as the poor man’s cow, is highly resistant to diseases and can adapt itself to extreme climatic conditions. They are blessed with peculiar adaptability to hot and dry climate and low quality roughage of hill tracts. They are immune to common foal diseases such as foot and mouth disease, pneumonia, enteritis, enterotoxaemia, etc.
This breed is also considered to be an endangered species – their number runs below 5000.
The physique
The Attappady goats, evolved and developed by the tribal communities of Attapady, is medium sized, lean and slender bodied. Like the name suggests, these goats are black in color. These bronze-eyed beauties come with black horns, with tips curved backward.
They have black, pendulous ears and their tails are curved and bushy. Attappady goats yield very less milk; they stand out for their quality meat. The birth weight of an average male Attappady goat is around 1.73kg and that of a female is 1.60kg.
Main characteristics
- Male and female species have horns- Lean, slender and black body
- Black horns with curved, backward-oriented tips
- Black, pendulous ears and bunchy, curved tail
Healthacation, with the help of the National Biodiversity Board, has laid down the master plan to conserve this endangered, high-range dwarf cattle.