Vechur cow
Encyclopedia
The Vechur cow is a rare breed of Bos indicus
cattle
named after the village of Vechur
in Kottayam district
, Kerala
, India
. With an average length of 124 cm and height of 87 cm it is the smallest cattle breed in the world and is valued for the larger amount of milk it produces relative to the amount of food it requires.
The Vechur cow was popular in Kerala until the 1960s but became rare when native cattle were crossbred with exotic varieties. In mid-2000s, scientists at Kerala Agricultural University
began a programme of conservation and study of the breed. About 200 cows are supposed to exist today, nearly 100 of them with the Veterinary College. A recent report claims that the milk of the Vechur cow has more of the beta casein
variety A2, rather than the variety A1 which is implicated in diseases like diabetes, ischaemic heart disease and autism .
A controversy arose in 1997 when environmentalist Vandana Shiva
stated that a Scottish company, the Roslin Institute, was trying to patent the cow's genetic code. Shiva described the action as piracy. The Roslin Institute denied the charge.
Zebu
Zebu , sometimes known as humped cattle, indicus cattle, Cebu or Brahmin cattle are a type of domestic cattle originating in South Asia, particularly the Indian subcontinent. They are characterised by a fatty hump on their shoulders, drooping ears and a large dewlap...
cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
named after the village of Vechur
Vechoor
Vechoor is a village in Vaikom taluk, Kottayam district in the state of Kerala, India. Vechoor is a short drive away from one of Kerala's tourist destinations, Kumarakom. The Vechur Cow breed of cattle is named after this village....
in Kottayam district
Kottayam district
Kottayam is one of the 14 districts in the state of Kerala, India. The district has its headquarters at Kottayam town, located at 9.36° N and 76.17° E. According to the 1991 census, it is the first district to achieve highest literacy rate in the whole of India...
, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. With an average length of 124 cm and height of 87 cm it is the smallest cattle breed in the world and is valued for the larger amount of milk it produces relative to the amount of food it requires.
The Vechur cow was popular in Kerala until the 1960s but became rare when native cattle were crossbred with exotic varieties. In mid-2000s, scientists at Kerala Agricultural University
Kerala Agricultural University
Kerala Agricultural University is the primary and the principal instrumentality of the Kerala state in providing human resources, and skills and technology, required for the sustainable development of its agriculture, defined broadly encompassing all production activities based on land and water,...
began a programme of conservation and study of the breed. About 200 cows are supposed to exist today, nearly 100 of them with the Veterinary College. A recent report claims that the milk of the Vechur cow has more of the beta casein
Casein
Casein is the name for a family of related phosphoprotein proteins . These proteins are commonly found in mammalian milk, making up 80% of the proteins in cow milk and between 60% and 65% of the proteins in human milk....
variety A2, rather than the variety A1 which is implicated in diseases like diabetes, ischaemic heart disease and autism .
A controversy arose in 1997 when environmentalist Vandana Shiva
Vandana Shiva
Vandana Shiva , is a philosopher, environmental activist, and eco feminist. Shiva, currently based in Delhi, has authored more than 20 books and over 500 papers in leading scientific and technical journals. She was trained as a physicist and received her Ph.D...
stated that a Scottish company, the Roslin Institute, was trying to patent the cow's genetic code. Shiva described the action as piracy. The Roslin Institute denied the charge.