Harsil goats also lined up for slaughter

Harsil goats also lined up for slaughter

By PRABEER SIKDAR

DEHRADUN, 8 December 2008:

With Eid slated for Tuesday, hundreds of Muslims are making last minute buying of goats for slaughtering them tomorrow. Traffic around Tehsil Chowk came to a standstill today as ‘namazis’ flocked to Emmanuel building to make the best purchase.

While Pakistan’s Dhumba breed of goats attracted the attention of most buyers, with some reportedly sold for more than Rs 1 lakh, mountain goats from Harsil too, invited attention of buyers for their attractive looks.

Said Farid Ahmed, Chander Road based (MDDA Colony), goat seller, who has been selling mountain goats from Harsil for the last five years, “These goats are not only affordable but its meat also tastes better than other goat meat.”

Priced at Rs 5000, Ahmed pointed out that customers do not prefer Harsil goats, due to lack of awareness. These goats are domesticated by the members of Bhotiya community and found at an altitude of 16, 000 feet on the high Himalayan alpine meadow.

These goats said to come down to lower reaches of the Himalayas during November to February owing to lack of fodder in winter. “They again travel to the higher reaches with the Bhotiya community in March,” he said.

Found mostly in two colours –white and black – these goats appear stunningly beautiful with their long and flowing hair. Though all Harsil goats meet the criteria applied to highly priced goats viz. beauty and health, they nonetheless do not command higher prices.

“In the last 15 days, I sold only three Harsil goats,” Ahmed added. As per the Islamic tradition, a sacrificial goat eventually gets divided into three parts. “One part is distributed among friends and relatives, the other go to the poor and needy while the third portion is kept for personal use,” said Ahmed.