An Overview of Donkey Genetic Resources of India

Donkeys play a crucial role in poor households in developing countries like India. Minimum maintenance cost is required for rearing of these animals and they tend to be very faithful to their owner. In India, donkeys are traditionally reared by washer-man community and pot makers. These animals are also used in brick kilns. The major utility of these animals is for carrying sand from the river bed and transportation of silted clay soil for the preparation of bricks. They demonstrate very good draught power, they are immune to many diseases and also possess high stress-bearing capabilities. However, they are largely invisible in development policy and plans and they often fail to find their place in agricultural and food security plans. They are neither on the livestock radar in agricultural or food security discussions nor do they feature in transport policy discussions. Donkeys occupy a place in government statistics but their economic value is not articulated correctly. Unlike bovines, they are never a part of the export or trade debate. Three registered breeds of Donkey in India are; Kachchhi, Halari and Spiti and there are a few more donkey populations that have been studied for their genetic variability. Molecular markers, primarily microsatellite markers are proven tools used to determine genetic diversity and relationships within and between animals. Many people efficiently used microsatellite markers to reveal genetic variation among various donkey breeds. This review focuses on the status of donkeys as a livestock resource in India with special reference to Marathwada.