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| Chase this vegetarian dog…..! | | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Apr 20
In Journalism College the aspiring scribes are taught that it is no news if a dog bites a man as only the way round can make news. Nevertheless, without biting or barking either way today it’s still dog’s news.
The vegetarian dog which protects against all adversaries the life, livestock and establishments of his masters and can pick up a fight even with a tiger –if need be –the Bakerwali dog is reported to be going extinct. True, as it was taught in the journalism college, it would have made no news if the Bakerwali dog was not famous world over for qualities of its loyalty to master and strength of a Jaguar.
In their lonely fight against militants during the two decade long of turmoil, the Gujjars and Bakerwals had their dogs as the only soldiers to protect them. In the tribal tradition, each cluster of nomadic families generally possesses half a dozen dogs. Two of them guard their masters against militants, while the rest protect goats and sheep in the hills. A decade of militancy has forced the Bakerwals to bifurcate the force of these hill dogs to serve the dual purpose of protecting livestock and fighting militancy. Bakerwali dogs are popular with the Army too.
According to a survey conducted by Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation, the "Bakerwali Dog" is at the verge of extinction with in next few decades as a consequence of insurgency since 1990 and their smuggling to various parts of world. TRCF Secretary Javed Rahi says that Gujjars and Bakerwals have been gradually losing this specie of dog since 1970 when the tribe started settling at various places and have relinquished the nomadic way of life but since 1990 a steep decline in number of Bakerwali shepherded Dogs were found as hundreds of Dogs being killed during insurgency in the State in higher reaches of the State, the survey said.
The survey further said that the growing demand in Indian and foreign market has resulted increase in the incidents of their smuggling and theft from original habitats which has declined their number substantially.
As per the survey the Bakarwali shepherd Dog is an ancient working breed found in the Hindukush, and Himalayan belt of Indian subcontinent, where it has been bred for many centuries by the Gujjar nomadic tribes as a livestock guardian and settlement protector.
Survey further reveals that there are only a few hundred Dogs of this particular specie surviving in most difficult and inhospitable conditions. Dozens of Dogs die every year because of throat, rabies and other infections for which no effective vaccine has been put into operation.
The interesting part the survey said Bakerwali shepherd Bitch which is already under decline gives birth to a pup only once in a whole year that too numbering one to four while as comparatively other breeds are having potential to give to four to twelve pups simultaneously'
Many of these dogs are known to die of diseases during summers. However, their deaths are also attributed to the change in the lifestyle of the nomads in the last decade. The dogs were used to mild summers as the nomads used to move to upper reaches during the warm months. But militancy has disrupted that cycle, causing early summer deaths to many of these dogs. |
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