Dimapur, Nov. 9 (EMN): Deputy Commissioner Zunheboto Tridebish Roy donated a pair of Sumi-ne (long haired goat) to the department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services (AH&VS) on Nov. 8.
In a brief formal programme, DC handed over a pair of male and female goat (the female about 2 months pregnant) to the Chief Veterinary Officer, Zunhebot in presence of the SDO (C), Namang Sepong Chang and other officials of the department.
Chief Veterinary Officer Zunheboto Dr. Toshi Aier in his speech expressed happiness and gratitude on behalf of the department to DC for gifting the animal. He said this gesture is not only showing respect and encouragement to the department in particular but also shows the importance of animal to the people in general. He also said the act of generous contribution made by DC will go down the history in the development of “Sumi-ne” preservation in the days to come.
The CVO said scientists and researchers from various institutes and universities took keen interest and studied about the long haired goat’s phenotypic characteristics and genetic makeup. He also informed that the state department of AH&VS put all its effort and took active initiatives and perused govt. of India for registration of this particular animal as a breed. Finally, he said the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) has confirmed and recognised it as a breed and named officially as “Sumi-ne”.
The DC expressed his happiness to the department for accepting his humble gift. He said that the gesture was not done for the sake of advertisement but to encourage and let the department take care, preserve and propagate “this highly valued animal so that it doesn’t gets extinct for the coming generations.”
The programme concluded with handing and taking over of the animal, the release infromed.
