In India, the cow which is at the top position is Gir Cow. Gir is one of the best milkers among indigenous cattle. The breed is also known as “Bhodali”, “Desan”, “Gujarati”, “Kathiawari”, “Sorthi”, and “Surati”. The breeding tract of the breed includes Amreli, Bhavnagar, Junagadh and Rajkot districts of Gujarat and is named after the Gir forest, the geographical area of origin of the breed. Bullocks can drag heavy loads on all kinds of soils, be it sandy, black or rocky.This is a world-renowned breed known for its tolerance to stress conditions. Having faced scarcity for a numbers of years, it has the capacity for yielding more milk with less feeding and is resistant to various tropical diseases.
Due to their special qualiities, animals of this breed have been imported by countries like Brazil, USA, Venezuela and Mexico, and are being bred there successfully. The animals are of red colour. Many animals have white spots. Variants with different sheds of red are also available. The animals have typically dome shaped fore head and long ears. Reported Average Milk production is 2110 lit per lactation. Animals with as high as 5000 litre can also be found in organized farms.
The Gir is distinctive in appearance, typically having a rounded and domed forehead (being the only ultra-convex breed in the world), long pendulous ears and horns which spiral out and back. They originated in southwest India in the state of Gujarat and have since spread to neighbouring Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
Pure Gir cow milk has calcium, phosphorus, rich fats, potassium which helps to maintain blood pressure. It also contains a Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is an important acid that lowering the bad cholesterol thus it improves overall heart health. Gir cow is famous for producing A2 Milk.
Urine of a pregnant cow is considered special; it is claimed to contain special hormones and minerals. According to Ayurveda, Gomutra (cow urine) can cure leprosy, fever, peptic ulcer, liver ailments, kidney disorders, Asthma , certain allergies, skin problems like Psoriasis , anaemia and even cancer.
Junagarh Agriculture University Scientist Found Gold in Gir Cow urine.
The most unique feature of Girs is their convex forehead, which acts as a cooling radiator to the brain and pituitary gland (source of growth and reproduction hormones). The animals have a big head with prominent bulging shield like forehead and a long face.
Their ears are long and pendulous, opening to the front and resembling a curled up leaf. Gir ears are very large and are an excellent fly and insect swatter.
Horns are set well back on their heads and thick at the base. They grow downwards and backwards with an upward curve.
The vary in color from pure red to speckles, yellowish red to white with large red spots. Their undercoat is red.
Their skin is darkly pigmented with short glossy hair, very loose and pliable. They can twitch it anywhere on their body to dislodge insects and have a whip like tail, which is deadly on insects. They sweat just like a horse
A Gir’s eyes are hooded and black pigmented. They can close their eyelids so it is impossible for insects to annoy them. They have a lot of loose skin around the eye area.
Gir’s feet are black and very hard.
The sheath is supported by a very strong panniculus muscle either side. The muscle can raise and lower the sheath at will. Sheaths are very neat and tidy.
Is a substance secreted in the skin, which is greasy and acts as an insect repellent.
Girs are highly fertile and calve very regularly. Their calves are born small so calving problems are unheard of.
The hump on a Gir is considered to be the largest of the Zebu breeds and is very well marbled. It is used as a pot roast. This hump has a specific vein called Surya Ketu Nadi, on interaction with solar rays, it produces gold salts in her blood. These salts are present in the cow's milk and cow's other bodily fluids.
Girs are considered to be the most gentle of the Zebu breeds. They love being with humans. They adore being brushed and scratched on their big dew laps, around the head, and between the back legs. Their temperament is well illustrated in Brasil where the cow will come into bails to be milked by machines just like any Friesian or Jersey cow. They are very gregarious and at night form a circle very close together with their calves sleeping under their necks. Gir cattle are one of the three Zebu breeds used to develop the American Brahman. Two of the most famous foundation sires, Manso and Emperor, carried a high Gir content. This can be seen in their down swept horns, big humps, straight wide backs, and beautifully sloping, filled out hind quarters.