The Livestock Department aims to eliminate Gid disease in yak by 2025 across the yak rearing communities in the country. Gid is one of the primary causes of yak deaths in the country. The National Highland Research and Development Centre (NHRDC) is currently sensitising about the disease to rural communities and seeking support from relevant stakeholders.
Gid, predominantly a yak disease in Bhutan is characterised by the loss of balance in the animals. The disease is usually contracted by young yaks while grazing grasses contaminated by dog tapeworms. For this, the Gid Control Program will register all herding dogs in highland areas and provide them with deworming tablets.
“After registration of dogs, in the first year, deworming tables will be provided four times per dog. In the subsequent phases, we will reduce the dosage to three times a year. After that, we will examine if the dog faeces still contain tapeworm eggs and if the results come positive, we will inquire if the Dzongkhag Livestock sector and livestock extension officers have conducted the deworming programs,” said Yeshey Wangdi, the focal person for Disease and Gid Control with the NHRDC.
Livestock officials are currently advocating about the program in yak rearing areas in Bumthang. At a sensitisation meeting held last Friday at the NHRDC, local leaders shared their support for the program.
“At the meeting, livestock officials proposed the local leaders to allocate some budget for the gid elimination program through gewog and dzongkhag budgets. We have decided to assess the requirement and allocate accordingly after deliberating in the Dzongkhag Tshogdu,” said Jampel, the Bumthang Dzongkhag Tsogdu’s Chairperson.
Gid is a fatal disease. Most yaks don’t survive it. In Bhutan, the disease is perennial and mostly prevalent in Haa and Gasa Dzongkhag. A study shows gid is the second most common cause of yak deaths in the country after depredation.
“To actually assess the in-depth impact of the disease, we have conducted a survey in ten yak rearing Dzongkhags covering 26 gewogs. We have interviewed around 656 people and we have found out that gid is still prevalent in yak-rearing areas of Bhutan and it accounts to around 1,193 yak deaths per year. So it is a national concern,” said Sangay Rinchen, a Sr. Veterinary Officer with the National Centre for Animal Health.
Nonetheless, statistics maintained by the Livestock Department shows that yak population in the country has either been constant or gradually increasing. Today there are around 52,000 yaks in the country. However, experts claim yak rearing households are declining. To make yak rearing attractive, the NHRDC supports livelihoods of yak herders and also works on product diversification and marketing of yak produce.
“Yak is considered as the iconic animal of the Third Pole. For instance, if we talk about the North Pole, we are talking about the polar bear and the South Pole, we are talking about the penguin. There are few yak-rearing countries in the region considered as the Third Pole, so the importance of yak is still there. So we have various plans to improve the yak genetics in the country by initiating artificial insemination. Soon we will be initiating that. It is to conserve the indigenous yak population in the country and at the same time to upgrade the yak breed of Bhutan,” said Vijay Raika (PhD), the Program Director of the NHRDC.
The Gid Control and Highland Animal Health Program will be conducted in all yak-rearing communities of Bhutan.
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