Breeding characteristics of Yaks. Cross breeding of male yaks with common cows in order to produce viable and exceptionally well desired hybrid offsprings is one the most important subject matter as far as local population is concerned. Breeding closely related to domestic cows, pure yak can cross with the domestic cow to produce fertile female offspring and infertile male offspring. The female offspring is locally called “ zhomo ’’ and male is called “zho . These hybrids are better than the yak and cow. The female zhomo are considered to be the good milk producer and the male zho are used as draft animal (for the purpose of loading and working). Breeding system in Gilgit Baltistan. Various breeding systems are practiced in the area in order to produce desirable generations. The most obvious and distinctive among all breeding systems is Yak-cow cross. The farmers and yak herders of the area have sophisticated their indigenous knowledge regarding yak- cow breeding that the
I- Background Gilgit Baltistan • Government: Self-governing territory underPakistani control • Area: 72,971 sq. km • 1% Agriculture land 1%, mountains, rivers and glaciers (66%), rangelands (23%) and forest (4%) (IUCN, 2002) • Population: 2 million • Districts: 7 • Literacy rate: 72% • Highest mountains: K2( Mount Godwin Austan II-Yak Habitat in Gilgit Baltistan The yak (Bos grunniens and Bos mutus) is a long-haired mamal found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Tibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia and Russia. Yak is locally named as 'Dong' in Gilgit Baltistan, the male is popularly known as yak and the female is called yakmo. The Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) and Pamir mountain tract are key yak habitat where total global yak population as reported by FAO (2003) was 14.2 million of which 93% were in China, about 0.04% in Mongolia and 0.01% in Gilgit Baltistan. III-Importance of Yak • Dairy Products (Mil