So many changes have occurred in livestock management in recent decades leading to a considerable decline in the diversity of indigenous livestock breeds. As society progressed, all attention was focused on high-yielding breeds and breeds that offered commercial benefits. In the process, the socio-cultural benefits provided by locally adapted breeds and their genetic diversity have mostly been neglected. Backyard rearing of pigs is commonplace in our society but we no longer see any heritage breeds or traditional livestock breeds of pigs raised by our ancestors. If the trend is any indication, the day is not far away when we will no longer see heritage chicken breeds – the ones we call ‘local’. Most of us today, especially in the urban areas, have not tasted ‘local eggs’ for years even though we consume mass-produced eggs in huge doses. So also is the case with our heritage cow breeds. However, the most notable loss is the mithun. The socio-cultural properties of the local livestock breeds that played a central role in the lives of our ancestors are fast disappearing. Along with it are disappearing our local traditions. Ways and means should be explored to conserve local livestock breeds and attribute more value to them before they are lost forever.
Mithun is considered as the pride of Nagaland. This animal plays an important role in the social, cultural and economic life of our people – it used to, rather. The mithun was such an integral part of our culture. The bovine still remains emblematic though it is no longer reared today. Motifs of the mithun found in the traditional Ao Naga men’s shawl and carvings of it in traditional settings are the only remnants of what was once an integral part of our culture. Our folk songs eulogize the mithun. Establishing new villages in the olden days was incomplete without the mithun. No feast of merit was complete without slaughtering the mithun. Mithun is considered as the pride of Nagaland. For whatever reasons, we no longer see the prized mithun in the region any more. This must be reversed.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-National Research Centre on Mithun, Medziphema is doing a commendable job and has come up with mithun rearing models that are productive, economically viable and sustainable. It has also undertaken a number of projects on mithun for the benefit of farmers in the states of Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Mizoram. Unfortunately, none in Mokokchung have been able to capitalize on it. Mithuns were generally reared without much supervision and were let loose in the community jungles. That might be possible these days. However, ICAR has devised a semi-intensive Mithun rearing model to counter this challenge. Apart from the socio-cultural and agricultural losses, we have not been able to reap the economic benefits of rearing the mithun. Elsewhere in Nagaland, adult mithuns are being sold at Rs.80,000 each.