The Hindu : National : Bakerwali dogs face extinction

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Bakerwali dogs face extinction

Luv Puri

Bakerwals say that due to the dogs’ high market value, many of them are sold and smuggled from the original habitats

— Photo: Luv Puri

Children with Bakerwali dogs in the high altitude areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

Kalakote (Jammu and Kashmir): Bakerwali dog, which is domesticated by the nomadic tribes inhabiting the Himalayas and the Hindukush mountain system of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan, is facing extinction in the far-flung areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

The dog gets its name from Bakerwals, a nomadic community, which rears the animal in the Himalayan belt.

A group of Bakerwals in the Kalakote area of Rajouri district, which is on its way to summer destination, pointed out that the dogs, due to their high market value, are sold and smuggled from original habitats.

Ramzan Ali, a Bakerwal, said: “Our clan has already lost half a dozen dogs this year due to various types of infection. If this trend continues, the dog will become extinct.”

The dog has been popular among the hunters for its ferocity. For the nomads, the dogs are important as they protect the cattle from predators. The dog commands a huge price in the urban areas. The movement of some Bakerwali dogs from the hilly areas to the urban areas has affected the normal mating process.

The sharp fall in their population in the Himalayas is also due to the fact that the Bakerwali shepherd bitch gives birth to pup only once in a year, that too less in number — one to four. There is little State support in providing medicare to the dog species. The main focus of the animal husbandry centres is the health of the cattle reared by nomads.

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