Pulikulam cattle, the ferocious indigenous breed used in jallikattu, have great potential as milk- and manure-yielding animals, if harnessed properly, according to scientists of the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (Tanuvas).
“They are resistant to many diseases, including tuberculosis and brucellosis, a disease that leads to abortion in animals. I have not come across any study that has reported about the prevalence of foot-and-mouth disease in the Pulikulam breed, though wild animals fall victim to this disease,” said S. Sivaseelan, professor and head of the Pulikulam Cattle Research Station, Manamadurai, which was recently set up by Tanuvas.
In a parallel effort, veterinarians from the Veterinary College and Research Institute in Orathanadu have collected and deposited samples of the breed for further genetic research.
“In Madurai alone, there are 16,000 animals, and we have to collect samples with the help of the shepherds as the animals are unapproachable. They graze in herds and farmers make them stay on their fields as their dung and urine enrich the soil,” said A.S. Selvaramesh, who has spent almost two years collecting samples from the cattle.
Benefits outweigh cost
Dr. Sivaseelam said 80% of the work on building the research centre, coming up on 44 acres, had been completed, and Tanuvas had bought 20 animals, which were being kept in Kattupakkam in Chennai. It was planning to purchase more animals soon.
“They can yield up to two litres of milk, but milking is not done because they are kept in a herd of a minimum of 500. First, we have to increase the yield by five litres, and then propagate the idea of rearing just two or three animals per house,” Dr. Sivaseelan said.
The cost of the native breed’s milk is double that of foreign breeds, but it requires very little maintenance and inputs in terms of fodder.
There is also a huge demand for the dung of the Pulikulam breed in Kerala, with farmers paying ₹10 per kg of dung, which they convert into manure for cash crops like pepper and cardamom. In Kerala, they dry the dung and sell the final product for a higher price.
Dr. Sivaseelan said genetic research would help identify and create purebred males, as there were chances of pollution by imported species.
“A six-month-old male costs between ₹20,000 and ₹25,000. If it wins a prize in jallikattu, its price would increase to ₹1 lakh,” he said.
