Attappady Black

The Attappady Black breed is native to the Palakkad district of Kerala. The economy of this region, home to the Irula, Muduka and Kurumba tribal communities, is primarily dependent on goat rearing and some agricultural activities.

This local goat breed evolved and developed by tribal communities in the region, is medium sized, lean and slender bodied and black in colour. They have bronze coloured eyes and black horns with curved backward oriented tips. The ears are black and pendulous and the tail is curved and bunchy.  Attappady goats are poor milk producers and are reared mainly for meat. The birth weight of males and females is around 1.73 kg and 1.60 kg respectively. 

Sheds to house the Attapaddy are often constucted above the ground (refer to photograph). The uncontrolled natural breeding of female goats by non-descript bucks has diluted the purity of the breed, and the estimated total population of Attappady black goats in their breeding tract is today as low as 7,738¹, putting this breed of goats under the insecure category listed by the FAO. (Refer to the maps below). A small number are also found in the state of Haryana. The National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources has put the Attappady Black goat breed on the ‘endangered species list’.

Text Source: NBAGR

Photo Source: http://www.vechur.org/attappady.html 

Reference:

1. 18th Livestock Census 2007 – All India Report based on Quick tabulation plan – Village Level Totals (Provisional). Government of India, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi