Copy of bcp 18112011 English - Natural Justice

The biocultural community protocol of maldharis of banni11We choose our breeding bulls very carefullyand the criteria we base it on include its dam'smilk yield, strength, ability to withstandstressful conditions and disease resistance. Wealso prefer certain physiological features thatinclude coiled horns, short but sturdy legs,convex forehead and white tail hairs. Eachbreeding bull is limited to three services perday and breeding bulls are exchanged betweennearby villages every 3-4 years to avoidinbreeding.The Indian Council of Agricultural Researchrecently recognized the Banni buffalo as the1 1 t h b u f f a l o b r e e d i nIndia.(INDIA_BUFFALO_0400_BANNI_01011)Research has shown that the Banni buffalo iscapable of astonishingly high milk yields withan average of 2857 litres of milk over the yearwith high fat content. The grasses of Bannienables the Banni buffalo to calve at 3 years ofage and achieve peak milk yields within anastonishing 38 days after calving (refer toAnnexure 5 for the table of performance of theBanni buffalo)The Maldharis hold their animals in high regard.Some of us take our shoes off before we enter theplace where our animals lie. Historically themeasure of a man was based on different animalshe kept. A Maldhari who had a good pedigree pureanimals and expert in traditional knowledge wasknown as 'bhagiya'- he who is lucky withanimals.