The Dhanni or Dhani is a Pakistani

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable 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 seve ...

of draught cattle of

zebu The zebu (; ''Bos indicus''), also known as indicine cattle and humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of Bos taurus, domestic cattle originating in South Asia. Zebu, like many Sanga cattle breeds, differs from taurine cattle by a fatty hump ...

ine type. It is distributed mainly in the

Attock Attock ( Punjabi, ), formerly known as Campbellpur (Punjabi, ), is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, not far from the country's capital Islamabad. It is the headquarters of the Attock District and is 36th largest city in the Punjab and 61st largest c ...

Chakwal Chakwal (Punjabi language, Punjabi and ) is a city in Chakwal District in the Potohar region of Punjab, Pakistan. It is the Largest cities of Pakistan, 48th largest city of Pakistan by population. Chakwal is located 90 kilometres south-west o ...

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

Jhelum Jhelum (; , ) is a city, located along the western bank of the Jhelum River, in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 21st largest city in Punjab and 31st largest in Pakistan, by population. Located in northern Punjab, it serves as the capital of the ...

Mianwali Mianwali (Saraiki language, Saraiki, ) city in Mianwali Tehsil is the capital city of Mianwali District in Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. The Largest cities of Pakistan, 81st most populous city of Pakistan, it is known for its diverse popu ...

and

Sargodha District Sargodha District (Punjabi language, Punjabi and ), is a district of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. The capital of the district is Sargodha. It is an agricultural district with wheat, rice, sugarcane and kinnow being its main crops. The Sa ...

s of the Province of Punjab in eastern-central Pakistan. The breed name derives from Dhan, in Jhelum District; other names for it include Awankari, Pahari, Pakhari and Pothwari.

History

The Dhanni formerly consisted of three separate local populations: the Awankari or Pakhari in

Talagang Tehsil Talagang (تلہ گنگ) is a tehsil of Talagang District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Talagang city serves as its headquarters, and the district is part of the Mianwali Division. Administrative divisions Under the PLGA 2019, the tehsil ...

and parts of Fatehjang Tehsil in

Attock District Attock District ( Punjabi/Urdu), known as Campbellpur District during British Raj, is a district, located on the Pothohar Plateau, in north western Punjab, Pakistan; created in April 1904. According to 2023 Pakistani census population of Att ...

, the Pothwari from Gujarkhan Tehsil and the area of Jatli in

Rawalpindi District Rawalpindi District (Punjabi language, Punjabi and ) is a Districts of Pakistan, district located in the northernmost part of the Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab province of Pakistan. Parts of the district form part of the Islamabad Rawalpindi metropo ...

, and the Dhanni in the former

Chakwal Tehsil Chakwal Tehsil (), is an administrative subdivision (tehsil) of Chakwal District in the Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab province of Pakistan. The tehsil is subdivided into 30 Union Councils of Pakistan, Union Councils - five of which form the capital Ch ...

Jhelum District Jhelum District () is a district, located partially on the Pothohar Plateau and in Indus Plain, in Punjab, Pakistan. Jhelum is one of the oldest districts of Punjab. It was established on 23 March 1849. Jhelum is known for providing many sold ...

. As trade and communication between these areas increased, it was recognised that there was little significant difference between the three, and they were consolidated into a single breed, the Dhanni. The Nawab of

Kot Fateh Khan Kot is the surname of a Polish szlachta (nobility) family. The surname derives from the nickname with the literal meaning "cat".Kazimierz Rymut, Nazwiska Polaków. Słownik historyczno-etymologiczny, Wydawnictwo Naukowe DWN, Kraków 2001 The fi ...

in Attock District took steps to support the breed from 1932, including the distribution of breeding bulls in the area; other landowners took similar action. A

herd-book A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry, the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders wh ...

was established in 1938, and milk yields were recorded from about the same time. A government livestock farm – now the Barani Livestock Production Research Institute – was established for the cattle in 1962 by the West Pakistan Agriculture Development Corporation at Kherimurat in Attock District; a herd of about 150 head is kept there. In 2006 a total population of just under 1.5 million head was reported, and in 2007 the

conservation status The conservation status of a group of organisms (for instance, a species) indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservation ...

of the breed was listed by the

FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition ...

as "not at risk". No population has been reported since then, and in 2025 its conservation status was listed as "unknown".

Characteristics

The Dhanni is of medium size: cows weigh on average and bulls ; average heights at the

withers Withers are the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, this ridge is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, catt ...

are and respectively. The coat is most commonly white with black spots, Three other coat colourings occur: black with white spots, ; white mottled with black and brown, ; and red with white spots, . Short horns are present in both sexes.

Use

The Dhanni is a good draught breed, capable of moving fast in quick short steps, and suitable for provision of power for industrial or agricultural machinery. Milk yields recorded in the 1930s averaged in

lactation Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process naturally occurs with all sexually mature female mammals, although it may predate mammals. The process ...

lasting 228 days, while yields recorded seventy years later at the government farm at Kherimurat averaged in a longer lactation period of 270 days.

References

Livestock in Punjab Cattle breeds originating in India Cattle breeds originating in Pakistan Fauna of Pakistan {{bots, deny=Citation bot