Abstract

HISTORY OF DOMESTICATION, DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF BREEDS IN INDIA- A REVIEW

Sourabh Sulabh* and Jyotishree Bayan

Abstract

Since time immemorial humans have always used animals for their benefits. In this process they domesticated and a number of wild animals by selecting them for docility, temperament, productivity and several related uses. These animals have always given protection, help, support and supplemented humans with rich source of animal foods like milk, eggs and meat. During early civilization process the prosperity of the individual was determined by the number of domesticated animals he possessed. With time different breeds evolved through selection which was done for extracting some important properties. However in modern times it is very necessary to not only maintain the existing breeds but also to evolve new one with suitable traits so that demands for human needs can be met. These breeds form an inclusive component of the society and should be taken care of. This review deals with some of the important breeds of cattle and buffalo and the method of record keeping which forms an internal component of their maintenance.

Keywords: Breeds, buffalo, cattle, domestication.