Dangi cow Photo: pierre matile · Pexels License · source ↗

Dangi cattle (Maharashtra hill cattle)

Dangi is the traditional hill draught cattle breed of the Western Ghats of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Registered with the ICAR National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR), it is renowned for its ability to plough and pull loads on steep, rocky and heavy-rainfall terrain where larger breeds slip and tire. The breed is closely associated with the Adivasi communities of the Sahyadri hills.

Origin and distribution

The home tract covers the Dang region of Gujarat and the adjoining Ahmednagar, Nashik, Pune and Thane districts of Maharashtra. The agro-climatic zone is high-rainfall hilly terrain (2,000–3,000 mm/year) with red lateritic soils. Pedigreed herds are maintained at the Cattle Breeding Farm at Igatpuri and the Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV), Rahuri; the Rashtriya Gokul Mission lists Dangi as a priority indigenous breed for conservation.

Appearance

Dangi animals are medium-sized with a compact, deep body and a distinctive black-and-white or red-and-white spotted coat that gives the breed a tough, weathered look. The forehead is broad with a slight bulge; horns are short, thick at the base and curve outward and slightly forward — generally pointing forward, unlike the upward-curving horns of Mysore-type cattle. Ears are medium and slightly drooping. The hump in bulls is well developed and the dewlap is heavy. Adult cows weigh 320–360 kg and bulls 430–500 kg, with strong, short legs and hard hooves.

Productivity

Dangi is primarily a draught breed. Cows are modest milkers, producing 430–800 kg over a 280–300 day lactation, with fat at 4.3–4.7%. The breed's main value is its bullocks, which work in the toughest hill conditions: heavy black soils in the monsoon, rocky terraces and steep cart-tracks. Bullocks pull 700–1,000 kg cart loads on hill roads and are highly valued for paddy ploughing and inter-cultivation in nagli (finger millet), varai (little millet) and groundnut. The breed also shows strong resistance to tick infestation and foot rot in wet conditions.

Management

Dangi survives on rotational grazing on forest pastures during the monsoon and on paddy aftermath and crop residues in the dry season. Supplementary feeding with sorghum kadbi, nagli straw and 1.0–1.5 kg of concentrate is given to working bullocks and milking cows. Simple loose housing or stone-walled night pens with sloping floors are common. Breeding is mostly by natural service in villages; artificial insemination (Artificial Insemination Cattle) with progeny-tested Dangi bull semen from MPKV is being scaled up.

Sources

Dangi — NBAGR breed profile. ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal.
Dangi — Dairy Knowledge Portal. National Dairy Development Board.