The Changthangi or Changpa is a

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

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 and ...

in northern India. It is closely associated with the nomadic

Changpa The Changpa or Champa (Changthang: ཆངཔ) are a semi-nomadic Tibetan people found mainly in the Changtang in Ladakh, India. A smaller number resides in the western regions of the Tibet Autonomous Region and were partially relocated for ...

people of the

Changthang The Changtang (alternatively spelled Changthang or Qangtang) is a part of the high altitude Tibetan Plateau in western and northern Tibet extending into the southern edges of Xinjiang as well as southeastern Ladakh, India, with vast highlands and g ...

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 R ...

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 E ...

; approximately three quarters of Indian pashmina production is from these goats. They are also used as pack animals and for

meat Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...

Description

These goats are generally domesticated and are reared by nomadic communities called the Changpa in the

regions of Ladakh, including the

Kharnak 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 Rupshu is a high elevation plateau and valley and an eponymous Community development block in India, community development block in southeast Ladakh. Description Frederic Drew describes the Rupshu valley as follows: Drew states that the valle ...

, Demchok/

Skakjung __NOTOC__ Skakjung or Kokzhung is 45–kilometer long pasture land along the Indus River valley in Southern Ladakh. It is traditionally used by nomads of nearby villages such as Chushul and Nyoma as well as Rupshu. The Skakung pasture land can be ...

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 Noori ( ) is a Pakistani rock band from Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, formed in 1996. The group was formed by songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist, Ali Noor, along with his younger brother Ali Hamza, who were soon joined by bassist Muhammad A ...

, 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 Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir is an agricultural university located in Shalimar, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir, India. With its main campus and Faculty of Horticul ...

(SKUAST) in Shuhama, 25 km east of Srinagar, on 15 March 2012.

Characteristics

The Changthangi is a small goat, standing about at the

withers 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 ar ...

, 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.

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

Description

Characteristics

See also

References