| Gayal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Gayals atGazipur Safari Park,Bangladesh | |
Domesticated | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Bovinae |
| Genus: | Bos |
| Species: | B. frontalis |
| Binomial name | |
| Bos frontalis Lambert, 1804 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Thegayal (Bos frontalis), also known asmithun orDrung ox,[1] is a largesemi-domesticatedcattle in the Himalayan foothills ofSouth Asia and primarily inNortheast India.
In his first description of 1804,Aylmer Bourke Lambert applied thebinomialBos frontalis to a domestic specimen probably fromChittagong.[2][3]
In 2003, theInternational Commission on Zoological Nomenclature fixed the first availablespecific name based on a wild population that the name for this wild species is valid by virtue of its being antedated by a name based on a domestic form. Most authors have adopted the binomialBos frontalis for the domestic species as valid for thetaxon.[4]
Phylogenetic analysis corroborates the taxonomic assessment that the gayal is an independentBos species originatingmatrilineally fromgaur,zebu andtaurine cattle.[5]
There are two major hypotheses on the origin of the gayal:
Analysis of thegenome of the gayal was published in 2017.[8]In 2020, a phylogenetic analysis using complete mitochondrial genome sequences unambiguously indicated that the gaur is the maternal ancestor of domestic mithun.[9][10]It was probably domesticated over 8,000 years ago along theAssam-Burma border, with wild gaur the most likely ancestor along with some geneintrogression from zebu,Southern yellow cattle, and cattle.[11]
The gayal differs in several important particulars from thegaur:[12]
Some domesticated gayals are parti-coloured, while others are completely white.[citation needed]
Gayal occur on the southern slopes of theEastern Himalayas inNortheast India,Bangladesh,Myanmar,Bhutan[13] and inYunnan,China at elevations of 300 to 5,000 m (980 to 16,400 ft) and temperature ranges from 20 to 30 °C (68 to 86 °F). Their preferred habitat is characterized by undisturbed forested regions on hilly terrain with streams, ponds, and lakes where abundant shrubs, trees, bamboo, and coarse grasses can be found. They are also drawn to salt lick hotspots.[11]
In India, semi-domesticated gayals are kept by severalethnic groups living in the forested hills ofTripura,Mizoram,Assam,Arunachal Pradesh,Manipur andNagaland. They also occur in theChittagong Hill Tracts.[12] In northern Burma, they occur in theKachin State, and in adjacentYunnan only in the Trung (Chinese:独龙河) andSalween River basins.[14][6]
Gayal serve an important ecological function and in northeast India function as ecosystem engineers, aiding in seed dispersal and enriching soil through their foraging activities and manure.[15]
The gayal is the state animal ofArunachal Pradesh andNagaland. Gayal are reared for meat, milk, and ceremonial purposes, and are of economic, social, and cultural importance in many different ethnic groups in its range. They are known primarily as a meat animal, being used most often as a dairy animal in Northeast India and Bhutan. 24 ethnic groups across China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and India have been recorded as being associated with gayal farming.[11]
The role of the gayal is central to the lives of many residents of these areas, includingtranshumant ones who pair gayal herding withsago palm harvesting.[16]The gayal is particularly important in the lifeways of theTani peoples, including theIdu Mishmi,Nyishi,Galo,Adi (Bangni-BookerLhobas including Pasi,Padam,Minyong), and of theNaga peoples, including theAo Naga,Chang Naga,Konyak Naga,Khiamniungan Naga,Sangtam Naga,Sümi Naga, andYimkhiung Naga. Gayal ownership is generally a signal of prosperity and high social status, and they are traditionally used as a form of currency, being exchanged for goods and alliances and used to pay fines and dowries. They also play a central role in religious ceremonies as a sacrifical animal or as a source of meat for festivals, feasts, religious and cultural events, and social gatherings. Sacrifice of a gayal generally is considered to bring honor and fortune to an individual or group, appease deities, and bring blessings, and the meat and blood of sacrificed gayal is auspicious.[17]
For Galo people, gayal are a symbol of peace and harmony in the community, and an individual or family's wealth is measured by how many gayal they own. InGallong, they are calledhobo. During theMopin festival held in April, gayal are sacrified as offerings to the harvest goddessMopin Ane, to bring a good harvest and a prosperous new year. Gayal are also part of the traditional dowry, with the groom's family gifting gayal to the bride's family. The amount and quality of the gayal given can be considered as both an indicator of the groom's family's status as well as an indicator of the bride's status.[citation needed]
In Naga folklore, man and gayal shared the same womb, which formed the basis for the close bond between the two species today. Gayal are a potent symbol of wealth, prosperity, and fertility. Carvings of gayal heads on the façades of homes are used to signify the social status of the residents. Among the Adi of Arunachal Pradesh, marriages are not fixed until the bridegroom's family gives at least one gayal to the bride's household.[18][17]
Gayal are not not commonly milked outside of Northeast India, and generally are not put to work. As gayal are semi-wild, traditionally they have been allowed to roam and forage freely in forests and return of their own accord, being given supplementary care by the herd owner. More contemporary practices have shifted towards creating fences, often living fences, to prevent gayal from straying into crop fields, where they can be shot and killed by farmers or cause crop damage which incurs a fine for their owners. It has also become increasingly common to call gayal back to the herd owners' pasture or barn on a nightly basis, in part due to the loss of livestock, especially calves, caused bydhole (Cuon alpinus) predation.[15]
TheNational Research Centre on Mithun was established atMedziphema in theChümoukedima District ofNagaland under theIndian Council of Agricultural Research.
The mandate of the institute was redefined in 1997 and 2006. Currently, theNational Research Centre on Mithun is functioning for developing the scientific and sustainable mithun rearing system and for catering the needs of mithun farmers with the following mandates: