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The Changthangi or Changpa is a breed of cashmere goat native to the high plateaus of
The Changthangi or Changpa is a breed of cashmere goat native to the high plateaus of Ladakh
Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu a ...
in northern India. It is closely associated with the nomadic Changpa people of the Changthang plateau. It may also be known as the Ladakh Pashmina or Kashmiri.
The intense cold of the region causes the goats to grow a thick undercoat, which is harvested to produce the fine pashmina
Pashmina (, ) refers to, depending on the source, a term for cashmere wool of the Changthangi cashmere goat,Janet Rizvi: ''Pashmina: The Kashmir Shawl and Beyond''. Marg Foundation, 2009. ISBN 978-8185026909. for fine Indian cashmere woolRobert ...
grade of cashmere. In the twenty-first century the quality of the pashmina is threatened by global climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
; approximately three quarters of Indian pashmina production is from these goats. They are also used as pack animal
A pack animal, also known as a sumpter animal or beast of burden, is an individual or type of working animal used by humans as means of transporting materials by attaching them so their weight bears on the animal's back, in contrast to draft an ...
s and for meat.
Description
These goats are generally domesticated and are reared by nomadic communities called the Changpa in the Changthang regions of Ladakh, including theKharnak
Kharnak is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh, India. It is located in the Nyoma tehsil.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census of India
The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing ...
, Rupshu, Demchok/ Skakjung and the Pangong Lake regions.
The goats survive on grass in Ladakh, where temperatures plunge to as low as . These goats provide the wool for Kashmir's famous ''pashmina'' shawls. Shawls made from Pashmina wool are considered very fine, and are exported worldwide.
The Changthangi goats have revitalised the poor economy of Changthang, Ladakh where the wool production generates more than $8 million a year.
Noori, the world's first cloned Pashmina goat, was cloned at the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST) in Shuhama, 25 km east of Srinagar, on 15 March 2012.
Characteristics
The Changthangi is a small goat, standing about at thewithers
The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, it is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, cattle ...
, and weighing on average approximately . Both sexes are horned; the horns are large and twisted, and may reach a length of . The ears are small and upright. The coat consists of an outer coat of long hair, and a thick undercoat of fine pashmina; it is commonly white, but can also be black, brown or grey. The skin is white or pale brown.
See also
* William Windsor (goat) *Turfani pashm
Turfani pashm or Kuchari Pashm or Turfani wool is a type of shawl wool obtained from Tibetan goats. It was imported to India from Yarkant and Changtang (Chinese Tibet). The wool was considered valuable for certain shawls.
Quality
Turfani was ...
References
Goat breeds Fiber-producing goat breeds Meat goat breeds Goat breeds originating in India Cashmere wool {{goat-stub ar:ماعز البشمين cs:Kašmírská koza de:Kaschmirziege eo:Kaŝmirkapro