STATE VETS CREATE WORLD HISTORY

BY NOR ADILA ALI

TANAH MERAH (Malaysia), Dec 17 (Bernama) -- The northeastern state of
Kelantan Veterinary authorities have created a record of sorts after they
successfully cross-breed the 'Black Bengal' and 'Boer' goat, the first of such
attempt in the world.

As a result of this cross-breeding, the Black Bengal doe (female goat)
delivered a pair of kids (goat off-springs), Kelantan Veterinary Services
Department Director, Dr Mohd Zairi Serian told Bernama here recently.

According to Dr Mohd Zairi, the male kid weighs 1.5 kg while its 'sister'
is at 0.1 kg lower.

Dr Mohd Zairi said: "In Malaysia, only Kelantan has this species (Black
Bengal) and we have managed to successfully cross-breed this goat (with the Boer
goat)".

He said the Black Bengal species is native to Bangladesh and has never been
brought out from that country apart from the pair that was handed over as a gift
to the Kelantan palace.

The Black Bengal goat is also known as the 'Bengal Black goat' and it is
found in Bangladesh and West Bengal in India.

The goats are predominantly black and their hair is lustrous, short and
soft.

The back is straight, while the legs are short, ears are about 11-14 cm in
length and pointed forward.

The average height of an adult is 50 cm while an adult Black Bengal buck
(male goat) weighs qbout 16-18 kg and that of a doe is about 12-14 kg.

According to Dr Mohd Zairi, the breed is early-maturing with first kidding
occurring at about 12 months and the Black Bengal doe 'kids' twice a year or
thrice in two years.

He said the cost incurred to rear the Black Bengal is minimal as these
goats eat grasses, shrubs and various tree leaves and do not really need
supplementary feed.

The Boer goats are reared for their meat rather than milk
production.

Dr Mohd Zairi said, the Boer goat has a fast growth rate and excellent
carcass qualities, making it one of the most popular breeds of meat goat in the
world.

He said, Boer goats show good resistance to disease and adapt well to hot
and dry climate.

Boer goats commonly have white bodies and distinctive brown heads. They
possess long, pendulous ears and are noted for being docile, fast growth, and
having high fertility rates.

The Boer doe is reported to have superior mothering skills as compared to
other goats while a mature Boer buck weighs between 110-135 kg and a mature doe
between 90-100 kg.

Meanwhile, Assistant Veterinary Officer Normala Tukiban, who was involved
in the cross breeding of the goats, said the Black Bengal doe was mated with the
Boer buck and this had produced two kids, a male and female on last Oct
9.

As for the other pairing, between the Black Bengal buck and Boer doe, it
produced no results.

Dr Mohd Zairi said, the cross breeding was attempted in an effort to obtain
the superior qualities of each breed.

He said the cross-breed kids weigh heavier than the true Black Bengal kids
at 1.4-1.5 kg to that of 0.8-0.9 kg respectively.

"The rate of growth is better where the cross-breed kids grow at about
50-80 gm a day as compared to the Black Bengal species which is at 35-40 gm a
day," he said.

The result augurs well for more future cross-breeding that involves the
Black Bengal goats, said Dr Mohd Zairi.
--BERNAMA