The Magra sheep, also known as Bikaneri Chokhla or Chakri and formerly known as the Bikaneri, is a breed of sheep that is found in the

Bikaner Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the States and territories of India, state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. It is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division. Fo ...

Nagaur Nagaur (also Nagor and Nagore) is a city and municipal council in Nagaur district of the state of Rajasthan in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Nagaur District. The Nagaur city lies about midway between Jodhpur and Bikaner. Na ...

Jaisalmer Jaisalmer , nicknamed ''The Golden city'', is a city in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, located west of the state capital Jaipur, in the heart of the Thar Desert. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Jaisalmer district ...

and

Churu district Churu is a district of the northern Indian state of Rajasthan. Churu lies in the Sekhawati region of northern Rajasthan and shares boundaries with the Hanumangarh District to the north, the Haryana state to the east, the Jhunjhunu and Sikar ...

s of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. However, purebreds are only found in the eastern and southern parts of the Bikaner district.

Significance

The Magra sheep is known as the only lustrous carpet wool-producing breed. The most important strain of Magra has flocks with extremely white and lustrous fleece, which can only be found in a few villages around Bikaner. A breeding program aims to improve this breed through selection. The breeders,

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

traders, and industrialists in Bikaner have expressed serious concern at the rapid decline in numbers of Magra sheep. Moreover, the number of purebreds is decreasing due to cross-breeding with other breeds in the area, and consequently there is a serious need for conservation.

References

{{Reflist Sheep breeds originating in India Animal husbandry in Rajasthan Sheep breeds Thar Desert