The sturdy ponies that were the primary mode of transportation in Swabhiman Anchal in a not-so-distant-past, when the rugged terrain of this isolated tract of Malkangiri district was shadowed by the ominous presence of Left Wing Extremists, have now evoked huge interest among researchers. However, the recent connection of the erstwhile “Cut-off area” to the outside world is threatening the extinction of these hardy beasts, scientists say.
Ponies are a type of small horse breed whose height at the withers ranges between 142 cm and 149 cm. Of the seven existing horse breeds in India, five are ponies. They are distinguished from each other based on their adaptation to different agro-climatic conditions, with differing levels of sturdiness, endurance potential and disease resistance.
Distinct breed
Orissa University of Agriculture Technology (OUAT) scientists are now studying the features of the Swabhiman Anchal pony in order to seek recognition for them as a distinct breed. Researchers say they are surprised to find that these ponies can tolerate soaring temperatures during the summer and survive with little care from the humans around them.
“I stumbled upon ponies in Malkangiri district, more specifically in Swabhiman Anchal, during my recent visit to the region for my research work on goats. Ponies cannot run fast like normal horses. But they can walk long hours in difficult terrain with high loads on their backs,” said Sushant Das, professor and head of the Animal Breeding and Genetics department of OUAT.
“Ponies are generally found in in cold climates of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and north eastern States,” Dr. Das noted. “However, Swabhiman Anchal ponies can survive in harsh temperate zone with little care from people. These ponies are untouched by outside breeding scope as they have served a small group of people in Swabhiman Anchal decades after decades.”
Isolated area
Swabhiman Anchal was erstwhile known as ‘Cut-Off area’, a tag which was drawn from its absolute remoteness. It was an isolated tract of land, about 900 sq km in area, created by two major reservoirs constructed in the 1960s and 1980s at Machhkund and Balimela, respectively. With large water bodies on three sides and tough terrain on the other, the region has nine Gram Panchayats and a population of around 35,000 to 40,000.
The people of Swabhiman Anchal had little access to the outside world till 2018, when a bridge across the Gurupriya River was inaugurated by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. New roads were laid connecting the human habitations within the isolated area as well.
Ponies to the rescue
Before 2018, when even pedestrian paths were rare, people belonging to local tribal communities travelled from one hilltop to another with the help of ponies. The agricultural harvest from terrace farming also used to be transported back to farmers’ homes by ponies.
“When the State government thought of laying roads in the region for the first time, it was not humanly possible to move from one part of Swabhiman Anchal to another due to its sheer remoteness,” recalls Prashant Kumar Behera, a 45-year-old junior engineer in the Rural Works Division of Malkangiri district. “I used to borrow ponies from villagers and carry out my road survey on horseback. Many were left shell-shocked by my act as horse-borne technical surveys were a feature of the pre-Independence era,” Mr. Behera said.
“As the region was dotted with small hills, it was a challenge to identify the potential roads. Then these ponies came to our rescue. We used to follow ponies in the region. Routes normally used by horses through the hilly forested terrain are less steep. The animal used to give us initial idea about possible road routes, though the road network plans subsequently went through technical scrutiny,” he added.
Facing extinction
After the region became well-connected with blacktop roads, the local residents have started abandoning their ponies and buying motorcycles instead. “We have found only few hundred ponies left in Swabhiman Anchal and these animals are going to be extinct soon. Since they have survived in a small and isolated geographical region amid a distinct human tradition and culture for decades, they must be different from other Indian ponies,” remarked Dr. Das.
He emphasised that attempts should be made to keep the animal population intact for the future. “During a preliminary interaction with the local people, I found that ponies were not well-fed or taken care of. During pregnancy, people used to give them some fodder. However, these ponies had served people who did not have any other means of transportation,” said the scientist.
