Mountain Goats Brought to Pokhara for Dashain Sale
Pokhara—Northern Pokhara,
around the Simpani and Hemja areas along the Pokhara Baglung Highway, has been
covered with herds of mountain goats brought for Dashain sale. Traders bring
thousands of mountain goats from northern Himalayan regions to Pokhara every
year for meat purposes. Locally known as Chyangra, it is a kind of goat, and
bheda is a sheep from the high mountain areas of Nepal. Dashain is the biggest
and most popular festival in Nepal. Key features of this festival include
eating meat, playing on swings, having tika, and worshiping the goddess Durga
Bhwani.
The Price of Mountain Goat in Pokhara
The first lot of mountain
goats arrived in Pokhara from Dolpa in the first week of October this year. According
to trader Mim Prasad Bohora from Jumla, the price of a mountain goat is around
NPR 45,000 each. He has been doing this business for three years now. "Sometimes
we earn handsome money, but some years face losses too," Bohora said.
Another seller, Buddhi Ram Bohora from Jumla informed that he is selling each mountain
goat in the range of NPR 22,000 to NPR 42,000. According to him, it took 25
days to bring mountain goats to Pokhara from Dolpa. Some of the weighty
mountain goats are being sold for as much as NPR 50,000. According to the
Pokhara Metropolitan City's Animal Service Department, mountain goats are being
sold at the Pokhara livestock market for up to NPR 1,250 per kilogram, while
sheep are priced at Rs. 700 per kilogram.
How are Mountain Goats Transported to Pokhara?
Mountain goats are transported
to Pokhara from mountain districts like Humla, Jumla, Dolpa, Bajhang, and
Mustang. Sometimes they are fetched even from Tibet, China. Mountain goats travel
mostly on foot to reach Pokhara. During their travel, some of them fall ill and
are stolen. Not only in Pokhara, but mountain goats are also taken to Kathmandu,
Dharan, and Chitwan from Pokhara. In addition to sheep and mountain goats,
large numbers of goats are also brought to Pokhara for sale from districts such
as Surkhet, Arghakhanchi, Dang, Palpa and Tanahun. Continuous rainfall, floods,
and landslides this year have made transportation of mountain goats more
difficult than in previous years.
Why Mountain Goats are Popular in Pokhara
People from Pokhara have
been tasting the meat of mountain goats for decades. Mountain goats raised in the cold climate of
the Himalayan region are in high demand in Pokhara and surrounding regions
during Dashain. Consumers claim that mountain goats have less fat and do not
harm human health much. It is also believed that the mountain goats graze
different herbs with medicinal value in Himalayan pastures, so that their meat
is good for human health. According to the Pokhara Metropolitan Livestock
Service Department, more than 148,000 mountain goats have already been brought
to Pokhara, and this trend continues till the 7th day of Dashain.
This number is no less than last year. Such goats are being kept in temporary corrals
made of bamboo, wood, and zinc sheets. Some are being sold from open grasslands
of Pokhara- 1, Simpani, and Pokhara- 22, Hemja.
How Healthy are Mountain Goats Selling in Pokhara
A joint team from the Animal Service Department,
the Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Services Office, Kaski, and the Animal
Quarantine Office, Pokhara, has started inspecting the health of sheep and
mountain goats (chyangra) and their sale and distribution. The team reported
that most of the animals were found to be healthy during the inspections. The
monitoring will continue until Phulpati, the seventh day of the Dashain
festival. Traders are required to get health certificates from veterinary
inspectors at the respective district livestock service offices before
transporting the animals to Pokhara. If any sick animals are found during
inspections, arrangements have been made to isolate them from the herds.
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