Kashmir Anz, first and only breed of domesticated geese in India
Dec 25, 2022
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], December 25 : The domestic goose found in the Kashmir valley is the only species of domestic goose in India. It has become the first and only breed of domestic geese in India since it was declared as "Kashmir Anz" by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in February this year.
The trend of goose rearing in the Kashmir Valley has been going on since ancient times. The population near the water bodies of Kashmir fondly rears it. Geese rearing is practised in the areas near the three major lakes of the Kashmir Valley, Dal, Villar and Anchar, while in Ganderbal district, districts like Sindh, Budgam, Baramulla, Bandipora, and also in the vicinity of Hokarsar and Narkara wetlands. There is a tendency to raise geese.
According to the research of Hina Hamdani, Azmat Alam Khan and MT Bande, researchers of the Faculty of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Sher Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences and Technology Kashmir, two species of goose have also been identified in Kashmir. The name of the white swan is 'White Anza' and the cinnamon-coloured goose is Kachur Anza.
The research states that Kashmiri geese also have two types of chicks, the yellow-winged and the dark-yellow-winged. The yellow chick appears to grow in the white anes and the black yellow chick appears to grow in the kachur anes. According to the research, Enz was rated as good for its appearance, texture, taste and acceptability
Despite being the only domestic goose species, their declining population is reaching critical levels.
Azmat Alam Khan, a co-author of the study, says their population has declined rapidly. Now they are found in Volar of Bandipora, Lake Ganderbal and other districts. In Srinagar, swans were found in large numbers in the Anchar area of Sora, where their numbers are now decreasing.
