![Brazilian Gyr Cattle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Brazilian_Gyr_Cattle.jpg)
The Gir or Gyr is one of the principal
Zebu
The zebu (; ''Bos indicus'' or ''Bos taurus indicus''), sometimes known in the plural as indicine cattle or humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of domestic cattle originating in the Indian sub-continent. Zebu are characterised by a fatty h ...
breeds originating in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It has been used locally in the improvement of other breeds including the
Red Sindhi
Red Sindhi cattle are the most popular of all Zebu dairy breeds. The breed originated in the Sindh province of Pakistan, they are widely kept for milk production across Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and other countries. They have be ...
and the
Sahiwal
Sahiwal ( Punjabi and ur, ), formerly known as Montgomery, is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 21st largest city of Pakistan by population and the administrative capital of both Sahiwal District and Sahiwal Division. Sahiwal is appro ...
. It was also one of the breeds used in the development of the
Brahman
In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' ( sa, ब्रह्मन्) connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality in the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part X ...
breed in North America. In
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and other South American countries the Gir is used frequently because, as a ''Bos indicus'' breed, it is resistant to hot temperatures and tropical diseases. It is well known for its
milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modula ...
producing qualities and is often bred with
Friesian cows to make the
Girolando breed.
The Gir is distinctive in appearance, typically having a rounded and domed forehead (being the only ultraconvex breed in the world), long pendulous ears and horns which spiral out and back. Gir are generally mottled with the colour ranging from red through yellow to white, black being the only unacceptable colour. They originated in west India in the state of
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
and have since spread to neighbouring
Maharashtra and
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...
.
Cows average in weight and in height; bulls weigh on average, with a height of At birth, calves weigh about . The average milk yield for the Gir is per
lactation
Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process naturally occurs with all sexually mature female mammals, although it may predate mammals. The proces ...
, with a record production of at 4.5% fat in India. In Brazil they average per lactation, with a world record production of by the cow Profana de Brasília.
In 2003 the Gir numbered about , or 37% of the 2.5 million cattle population of the
Saurashtra region of Gujarat. In 2010 the population in Brazil was estimated at approximately five million.
See also
*
Hariana cattle
*
Jersey cattle
The Jersey is a British list of cattle breeds, breed of small dairy cattle from Jersey, in the British Channel Islands. It is one of three Channel Island cattle breeds, the others being the Alderney (cattle), Alderney – now extinct – and th ...
References
External links
Gyr breed of Cattle
Associação Brasileira dos Criadores de Gir Leiteiro
{{Cattle breeds of India
Dairy cattle breeds
Cattle breeds originating in India
Animal husbandry in Gujarat
Cattle breeds