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Heritage Yak

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki








Heritage Yak
File:Heritageyak.jpg
Heritage yak
Conservation statusNumerically endangered
Country of originTibet
DistributionUnited States, Canada, Germany and Switzerland
UseFiber, Dairy, Meat, cold tolerant with exceptional foraging ability
Traits
CoatBlack, Brown, Piebald
Horn statusHorned, spiral primigenius
Distinguishing featuresBlack and brown, long fur, thick downy undercoat, distinct primigenius spiral horn, intelligent, agile with high dexterity
  • North American Heritage Yak
  • Bos grunniens mutus

The Heritage Yak is a breed of yak in North America with origins in the Himalayan highlands of Tibet. North American Heritage Yak are a "heritage" breed, considered numerically endangered, and are listed on the 2021 Conservation Priority List (CPL).[1] To be categorized as a Heritage Yak, the candidate must meet a specific set of criterion, and breed standard, established by the World Heritage Yak Conservancy (WHYC)[2], and voted on by the Livestock Conservancy (TLC). This subspecies of yak shares many traits in common with the threatened Wild-type yak. [3] For example, the size of Heritage Yak is larger than domestic yak on the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau (QTP), with an adult bull weighing between 636 to 875 kilograms (1,400–1,950 pounds) and a cow weighing from 227 to 320 kilograms (500–700 pounds). Similarly to Wild yaks, their coat color is generally blackish to brown, with some having white patches called “trims” and “royals”. The population is expanded mostly from imported zoological park specimens, many of which were categorized as the threatened Wild yak (bos mutus) in historical documents. [4] The effects of domestication in yaks are not as marked as for most other domestic species. [5] Today, the North American Yak remnant population is sequestered and needs to sustain itself in situ to be preserved. [6] For these reasons, conservation and genetic testing for pedigree accuracy is critical for managing genetic diversity to preserve this rare and isolated remnant population. [7]

Breed Characteristics

Heritage Yak have long shaggy fur, small ears and smooth horns. Their wide foreheads often exhibit distinctive and long hair, thought to be an artifact inherited from the Wild type "Long Hair Forehead" Yak. [8] They share more traits in common with Wild type yak than their domestic counterparts on the QTP.[9] These include: Larger size, black and brown fur color, long forehead fur, distinct primigenius spiral horns. Limited effects of domestication include: high intelligence, low difficulty birthing, and low inbreeding.

Size

The size of Heritage yak in North America more closely resembles the Bos mutus subspecies, and this has held in settings with poor nutritional availability. The adult yak is highly sexually dimorphic, with a great size difference exhibited between males and females. Both sexes have a short neck with a pronounced hump over the shoulders, although this is larger and more visible in males.[10] Adults stand about 1.4 to 1.9 m (4.6 to 6.2 ft) tall at the shoulder, and weigh 500–875 kg (1,102–1,929 lb). The head and body length is 2.4 to 2.9 m (7.9 to 9.5 ft), not counting the tail of 60 to 100 cm (24 to 39 in).[11] The females are about half the weight and are about 30% smaller in their linear dimensions when compared to bull yaks. [12]

Coat Color

Both sexes have a dense woolly undercoat with long long shaggy guard hair making them very cold tolerant. The hair may reach the ground and this is called a "skirt". Similar to wild yaks their coat color is generally blackish to brown, some having white patches are called “trims” and the piebald pattern is called “royal”. There are no pure breed white yak in North America[13] or Asia. White coats in the US are a product of hybridization with Charolais cattle. In Asia yak were hybridized with cattle to selectively produce the Tianzu White yak of Gansu. [14] There are several studies demonstrating that white yak are cattle hybrids. One study found that both sub-species (Bos mutus and Bos grunniens) are more similar to bison than the Tianzhu white yak breed found in the Tianzhu region of Tibet-China (Bai, J, et al., 2015). This was replicated by additional direct genetic comparisons, indicating that the Tianzhu white yak genome is more similar to the cattle species (Bos taurus) than any yak subspecies (Bos mutus or Bos grunniens). They also determined that identifiable cattle mutations are responsible for creating the white coat color (Qui, Q, et al. 2012, 2015). Recent work by Han Jainlin in Nov 2020 says “the white hair of Tianzhu yak is produced by long-term artificial breeding.” This is important because no research has yet identified any white yak that are not a result of cross-species hybridization with cattle (Bos taurus or Bos indicus). For this reason the World Heritage Yak Conservancy excludes hybridized white yak from registration. [15]

Horns

The horns extend sideways out of their bases and in a relatively smooth curve, spiral forwards, upwards and inwards. In males, they typically range from 48 to 99 cm (19 to 39 in) in length. The horns of females (cows) are smaller, only 27 to 64 cm (11 to 25 in) in length, and have a more upright shape. Many Heritage Yak display the characteristic Wild-type yak horns with the "primigenius spiral.” [16] According to Claude, Guintard (Revue de Paleobiologie 25:259-269, 2006) this is named after the horn shape of the extinct aurochs (Bos primigenius). Wild yak, aurochs and kouprey (Bos sauveli) all exhibited this horn shape. Aurochs and Kouprey are now extinct, and the wild yak is threatened. These extinct traits of the Heritage Yak indicate their value for preserving genetic diversity and make them worthy of conservation.

Long Hair Forehead Yak (རིང་པོ སྐྲ སྤུ དཔྲལ་བ། འབྲོང)

The “Long-hair forehead yak” is a wild-type that is exceedingly rare with a very restricted range. These wild-type yak are not considered a “breed” according to researchers - meaning they are not “man-made” through selective breeding (Weiner et al. 2003). As a Wild Yak subspecies they are more at risk than the overall wild-type population. The Tibetan locals agree that this subspecies is only found in the south of Qinghai and only in remote pockets in the highlands of Qinghai. They also seem to differ significantly from the current Chinese Chang Tang Reserve population in a variety of ways. The Wooly and SuperWooly breed in North America are likely most closely related to the rare "Long-Hair Fur Forehead Yak” and current generics research may bear this out.

Uses

Recognized for its high trainability and superior environmental adaptation, the breed is worthy of attention for use in grass‑based ranching, especially where stocking levels are restricted and environmental conditions are harsh. [17]. The yak is also utilized in a variety of luxury products, such as, by high-end yak fiber producers [18] [19], and award-winning cheesemakers [20]. Yak also produces lean, nutrient-dense beef that is high in Omega-3s. [21] [22]

Breed Standards

Not all yak in North America are considered Heritage Yak or meet criterion to become registered with World Heritage Yak Conservancy (WHYC). [23] WHYC uses the strictest definition of a breed, which is a "consistent and predictable genetic entity”. This means that individuals from that breed will produce offspring that is predictably similar to their genitors, and that this similarity is genetically based. This biological definition is useful for conservation, because it makes the Heritage yak breed a reliable sources of genetic diversity. For this reason, genetic testing is required for classification. 130 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP) are tested and used by the World Heritage Yak Conservancy for analysis of: parental verification, cattle introgression, Coefficient of Inbreeding (COI) and a growing variety of trait markers.

1) Pedigree. Only Yak with known parentage and a pedigree linked to the Foundation herd are eligible for consideration as a Heritage Yak. Parental Verification through genetic testing is required. Heritage Yak exhibit a pedigree linked to original foundation stock bred in North America since 1909, and originating in the Himalayas prior to 1989. This means several Heritage Yak have a known foundation pedigree going back 5-6 generations. Newly imported yak are not eligible for Heritage Yak status.

2) Pure Breeds. Only pure bred North American Yak are eligible for registration as Heritage Yak. No Hybridization is allowed, and an introgression level of more than 4.2% does not meet criterion as a Heritage Yak. Specific Hybrid Traits are also excluded. For example, white yak expressing the Charolais Trait marker for coat color is not eligible to be considered a Heritage Yak.

3) Intentional Breeding. Mulit-sire/mixed herds are not eligible for registration. When a junior back-up bull is used as an intentional breeding practice, the second bull can be registered and this will not be considered Mulit-sire/mixed herd unintentional breeding.

Taxonomy

The Heritage Yak shares more traits in common with Wild type yak than their domestic counterparts on the QTP.[24] However, they are likely a subspecies cross of Bos grunniens grunniens and Bos grunniens mutus, which are the domestic and Wild forms, respectively, of the bovid commonly called the yak.

Conservation

The Heritage yak of North America is a rare breed and is currently considered to be numerically endangered according to the Livestock Conservancy, and are listed on the 2021 Conservation Priority List.[25] The latest assessment in 2020 suggested a total population of no more than 1,000 mature individuals and 200 registrations per year.[26] In large part, due to the efforts of World Heritage Yak Conservancy (WHYC), the Heritage Yak breed can now be identified and cataloged to maintain healthy populations. As a nonprofit organization, the WHYC also sustains program initiatives that deal with preserving and promoting this yak breed that is numerically endangered in the "critical" category. [27]

The Heritage Yak is experiencing threats applied by several sources. The largest threat is intentional interbreeding with cattle, which is common in the United States. As with any breed, crossbred animals must be tracked to ensure the integrity of the pure lines, and significant numbers of purebred stock must be maintained. WHYC also manages the Heritage Yak herd book to exclude any hybridization with cattle. Interbreeding with cattle is identified as the greatest threat to global populations (P. Buzzard, IUCN Red List of Threatened Species), so animals with identifiable cattle introgression are excluded from the registry. [28] These actions will ensure that parental stocks remain available for conservation of the genetic resource.

History

The North American Heritage Yak is one of the few historic breeds of livestock originating in Canada. It descends from Tibetan yak which were brought to Canada between 1887 and 1927. This population was shaped by human intervention and natural selection in the rugged environment of eastern Canada and the northern United States, and the resulting breed became known as the North American Heritage Yak. The breed is closely associated with Montana, and even today the majority of the North American Yak are found in the northern Mountain States.[29]

Recognized as valuable for its superior environmental adaptation, the Canadian and American governments encouraged and financed the importation of breeding stock into Canada and Alaska. In 1909, large scale promotion of North American Yak as New World livestock began in America. The North American Yak flourished and by 1916, there were several successful breeding herds in eastern Canada, Fairbanks Alaska, Massachusetts and New York.[30]

Yak genetics were introduced as a way to increase meat production, though the result was to dilute the characteristics of the Yak without any market advantage gain for the breed. Fortunately, several cross-species hybridization efforts failed due to the sterility of F1 offspring. In 1937, the Canadian government officially discontinued the hybridization efforts with the North American Yak in favor of “improved breeds.” These federal herds were divested and moved to private sector breeders. While these types of Federal experimental farms continued into the 1950s in Alberta, due to diligent breeders and well documented pedigrees the pure stock continues to exist. The breed continued to flourish for several decades. In the early 1980s, additional Canadian seed stock was added to preexisting herds in Montana and Nebraska. Several new herds were established and the North American Yak territory was expanded throughout the northern United States.[31]

Beginning in 2019, WHYC members worked with The Livestock Conservancy (TLC) to define Heritage Yak as a rare breed in the "Heritage" category, in order to create the criterion that identifies the breed.[32] First WHYC validated the history of yak in North America, with original documents and the help of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Lincoln Park Zoo (LPZ), Wildlife Conservation Society, the Toronto Zoo and several other zoos and safari parks. Then the criterion for the Heritage Yak breed was created and submitted for evaluation to The Livestock Conservancy. [33] After several rounds, establishing sound genetic and pedigree criterion, the Board of directors voted to add Heritage Yak to the Conservation Priority List. [34] Requirements for the heritage yak breed includes being purebred, having a genetically established pedigree, quality breeding practices, and sustainability standards for the breed.

See Also

Bibliography

Dohner, Janet Vorwald (2002). The encyclopedia of historic and endangered livestock and poultry breeds. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-08880-9 Search this book on ..

Luo, Xiao & Tong, Zi & Wei, Ya & Zhao, Xin. (2006). Meat characteristics of Qinghai yak and semi‐wild yak. Animal Science Journal. 77. 230 - 234. doi:10.1111/j.1740-0929.2006.00342.x.

"Conservation Priority Cattle Breeds 2021" (PDF). American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. Retrieved 2011-03-02.

"Heritage Cattle Defined". Weekly Harvest Newsletter. National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. November 17, 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-19.

Petersen JL, Kalbfleisch TS, Parris M, Tietze SM, Cruickshank J. MC1R and KIT Haplotypes Associate With Pigmentation Phenotypes of North American Yak (Bos grunniens). J Hered. 2020 Apr 2;111(2):182-193. doi: 10.1093/jhered/esz070. PMID: 31714577; PMC PMC7530542.

Sponenberg, D. Philip; Bixby, Donald E. (2007). Managing Breeds for a Secure Future: Strategies for Breeders and Breed Associations. Pittsboro, NC: The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. ISBN 1-887316-07-8 Search this book on ..

Qiu Q, et al. Yak whole-genome resequencing reveals domestication signatures and prehistoric population expansions. Nat Commun. 2015;6:10283. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms10283.

Qiu Q, Zhang G, Ma T, Qian W, Ye Z, Cao C et al. The yak genome and adaptation to life at high altitude. Nature Genetics. 2012 Aug;44(8):946-949. https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.2343

References

  1. ↑ "Conservation Priority Livestock Breeds 2021" (PDF). Livestock Conservancy. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
  2. ↑ "Registartion Criterion Summary". World Heritage Yak Conservancy. Retrieved 2021-01-06. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  3. ↑ "Heritage Yak Breed History". World Heritage Yak Conservancy. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  4. ↑ Kalbfleisch, T.; Petersen, J. L.; Tait Jr, R. G.; Qiu, J.; Basnayake, V.; Hackett, P. H.; Heaton, M. P. (2020). "Using triallelic SNPs for determining parentage in North American yak (Bos grunniens) and estimating cattle ( B. taurus) introgression". F1000Research. 9: 1096. doi:10.12688/f1000research.25803.2. PMC 7605211 Check |pmc= value (help). PMID 33163159 Check |pmid= value (help).
  5. ↑ Qiu, Qiang; Wang, Lizhong; Wang, Kun; Yang, Yongzhi; Ma, Tao; Wang, Zefu; Zhang, Xiao; Ni, Zhengqiang; Hou, Fujiang; Long, Ruijun; Abbott, Richard; Lenstra, Johannes; Liu, Jianquan (2015). "Yak whole-genome resequencing reveals domestication signatures and prehistoric population expansions". Nature Communications. 6: 10283. Bibcode:2015NatCo...610283Q. doi:10.1038/ncomms10283. PMC 4703879. PMID 26691338.
  6. ↑ "Home". World Heritage Yak Conservancy. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  7. ↑ "North American Heritage Yak". Livestock Conservancy. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  8. ↑ "Chaper 2 Yak Breeds". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  9. ↑ "Breed History of Heritage Yak". World Heritage Yak Conservancy. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  10. ↑ "The Yak. Chapter 2: Yak breeds". FAO. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  11. ↑ Han Jianlin, M. Melletti, J. Burton, 2014, Wild yak (Bos mutus Przewalski, 1883), Ecology, Evolution and Behavior of Wild Cattle: Implications for Conservation, Chapter 1, p.203, Cambridge University Press
  12. ↑ Buchholtz, C. (1990). True Cattle (Genus Bos). pp. 386–397 in S. Parker, ed. Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals, Volume 5. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. (quoted in Oliphant, M. (2003). Bos grunniens (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed 4 April 2009)
  13. ↑ "Color Inheritance in North American Heritage Yak". Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  14. ↑ Qiu, Qiang; Wang, Lizhong; Wang, Kun; Yang, Yongzhi; Ma, Tao; Wang, Zefu; Zhang, Xiao; Ni, Zhengqiang; Hou, Fujiang; Long, Ruijun; Abbott, Richard; Lenstra, Johannes; Liu, Jianquan (2015). "Yak whole-genome resequencing reveals domestication signatures and prehistoric population expansions". Nature Communications. 6: 10283. Bibcode:2015NatCo...610283Q. doi:10.1038/ncomms10283. PMC 4703879. PMID 26691338.
  15. ↑ "Registration Criterion". World Heritage Yak Conservancy. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  16. ↑ "Registration Criterion". When Are You Looking at a Wild Yak. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  17. ↑ "Yak In Relation To Its Environment". Food and Agriculture Organization of the Unite Nations (FAO). Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  18. ↑ "Myak Tibetan Fiber Tibetan Yarn". myak. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
  19. ↑ "Luxury Yak Wool, Ethical & Sustainable"". norla.com. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
  20. ↑ "Prairie Sky Cheese". Prairie Sky. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
  21. ↑ "Introducting Yak the Other Red Meat". Take Part. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  22. ↑ Zhao & Zi 2007, p. 1.
  23. ↑ "Registration Regulations". World Heritage Yak Conservancy. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  24. ↑ "Breed History of Heritage Yak". World Heritage Yak Conservancy. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  25. ↑ "Parameters of Livestock Breeds on the Conservation Priority List". Livestock Conservancy. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  26. ↑ "Registration Criterion". World Heritage Yak Conservancy. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  27. ↑ "WHYC Current Initatives". World Heritage Yak Conservancy. Retrieved 2021-01-06. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  28. ↑ "Background & History". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  29. ↑ "Heritage Yak Breed History". World Heritage Yak Conservancy. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  30. ↑ "North American Heritage Yak". Livestock Conservancy. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  31. ↑ "Heritage Yak Breed History". World Heritage Yak Conservancy. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  32. ↑ "What is a Heritage Yak?". Prairie Sky Sanctuary. Retrieved 2021-08-15. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  33. ↑ "What is a Heritage Yak?". World Heritage Yak Conservancy. Retrieved 2021-01-06. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  34. ↑ "Heritage Yak Registration Regulations". World Heritage Yak Conservancy. Retrieved 2021-01-06. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)


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