Dhanni (cattle)
.jpg) Bull at Karachi | |
| Conservation status | |
|---|---|
| Other names |
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| Country of origin | Pakistan |
| Distribution | Province of Punjab: |
| Use | |
| Traits | |
| Weight |
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| Coat | usually white with spots of black |
| Horn status | short horns |
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The Dhanni or Dhani is a Pakistani breed of draught cattle of zebuine type. It is distributed mainly in the Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mianwali, Rawalpindi and Sargodha Districts of the Province of Punjab in eastern-central Pakistan.[3]: 6 The breed name derives from Dhan, in Jhelum District;[4]: 169 other names for it include Awankari, Pahari, Pakhari and Pothwari.[5]: 383
History
The Dhanni formerly consisted of three separate local populations: the Awankari or Pakhari in Talagang Tehsil and parts of Fatehjang Tehsil in Attock District, the Pothwari from Gujarkhan Tehsil and the area of Jatli in Rawalpindi District, and the Dhanni in the former Chakwal Tehsil in Jhelum District.[6]: 242 As trade and communication between these areas increased, it was recognised that there was little significant difference between the three, and they were consolidated into a single breed, the Dhanni,[6]: 242 which was distributed mainly in the Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mianwali, Rawalpindi and Sargodha Districts of the Province of Punjab in eastern-central Pakistan.[3]: 6
The Nawab of Kot Fateh Khan in Attock District took steps to support the breed from 1932, including the distribution of breeding bulls in the area; other landowners took similar action. A herd-book was established in 1938, and milk yields were recorded from about the same time.[4]: 169 A government livestock farm – now the Barani Livestock Production Research Institute – was established for the cattle in 1962 by the West Pakistan Agriculture Development Corporation at Kherimurat in Attock District;[7]: 55 a herd of about 150 head is kept there.[7]: 90
In 2006 a total population of just under 1.5 million head was reported,[2] and in 2007 the conservation status of the breed was listed by the FAO as "not at risk".[1]: 87 No population has been reported since then, and in 2025 its conservation status was listed as "unknown".[2]
Characteristics
The Dhanni is of medium size: cows weigh on average 285 kg and bulls 412 kg;[4]: 169 average heights at the withers are 126 cm and 135 cm respectively.
The coat is most commonly white with black spots, Urdu: chitta burga[6]: 247 Three other coat colourings occur: black with white spots, kala burga; white mottled with black and brown, nuqra; and red with white spots, ratta burga.[3]: 6 Short horns are present in both sexes.[4]: 169
Use
The Dhanni is a good draught breed, capable of moving fast in quick short steps, and suitable for provision of power for industrial or agricultural machinery.[4]: 169
Milk yields recorded in the 1930s averaged 765 kg in lactation lasting 228 days, while yields recorded seventy years later at the government farm at Kherimurat averaged 708 kg in a longer lactation period of 270 days.[4]: 169
References
- ^ a b Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
- ^ a b c Breed data sheet: Dhanni / Pakistan (Cattle). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed January 2025.
- ^ a b c [s.n.] (2010). Cattle Breeds. Lahore: University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences. Accessed January 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.
- ^ Marleen Felius (1995). Cattle Breeds: An Encyclopedia. Doetinchem, Netherlands: Misset. ISBN 9789054390176.
- ^ a b c N.R. Joshi, Ralph W. Phillips (1953). Zebu Cattle of India and Pakistan. FAO Agriculture Studies No. 19. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Archived 1 December 2017.
- ^ a b Annual Report 2021-22. Lahore: Livestock Punjab, Government of The Punjab. Archived 25 January 2025.