Domestic animals
1 Biodiversity of domestic
animals in China
2 Specific germplasm resources
3 Domestication and
reproduction of wild animals
4 Losses of Chinese domestic
germplasm
5 Problems of conservation and
sustainable utilization
1 Biodiversity of domestic animals in China
China is
one of the richest countries in the world in terms of domestic animal breeds
and groups. According to the national census of Chinese animal breed resources,
organized by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in the 1980s, the
published number of breeds and varieties of animals were 596 in 1986. According
to monographs and reports over the last 4 years, there are 2,222 breeds and
groups of animals including mammals, birds and insects of wide economic
importance, i. e. 66 horses, 22 donkeys, 73 cattle, 20 buffaloes, 5 yaks, 79
sheep, 48 goats, 113 pigs, 109 chickens, 35 ducks, 21 geese, 3 turkeys, 4 pigeons,
14 rabbits, 7 camel, 9 dogs, 7 deer, 5 musk-deer, 5 bears, 3 pheasants, and one
each of the following: Little civet, Sable, Mink, Silver fox, Artic fox,
Raccoon dog, Coypu and Musk-rat, and 1,270 silkworms, 16 honey bees and 280
goldfish.
The formation
and establishment of any domestic breeds and groups, whether mammals, birds or
insects, are all closely related with the historical development of local
nations and tribes, as well as their natural environments. From the same
genealogical origin of one species might have been formed breeds with different
economically important characters. Chinese domesticated animal breeds, groups
and varieties are famous in the world for their high prolificity, flavor,
medicinal quality, entertainment characters, freeze resistance, hardiness and
species ecological tolerances.
Pigs (Sus scrofa)
Pigs are
widely distributed in China. The domestication of them began some 10 thousand
years ago, with a lot of wild relatives. Genealogically, there are supposed to
have been developed from swine ancestors, such as the South-China wild hog,
Taiwan wild hog, North-China wild hog, Northeast white chested wild hog, Wusuli
wild hog, Mongolian wild hog, Xinjiang wild hog and Draft wild hog. After a
long time of blood mixing they were divided into three groups in terms of ear
type: large dropped ear, middle dropped ear and small pricked ear types; three
groups in terms of stature: big, middle and small; three groups in terms of
coat color: black, white and two-end black. They were then divided
geographically into six groups: Northern China, Southern China, Middle-plain
China, Jiang Huai, Southwestern and Plateau. Including imported ones, there are
113 pig breeds.
Cattle (Bos)
Cattle is
the common name for both Bos taurus and
Chinese zebu (Bos indicus) and,
especially, they are called ¡¯Yellow cattle¡¯ China, which differentiates them
from water buffaloes. Yellow cattle are distributed in any region below 2,000 m
above sea level. Genealogically there are derived from Mongolian, Huanghui,
Changzhu and Tibetan strains, and they are 55 breeds including those with
exotic and indigenous origins.
Yak (Bos grunniens)
The yak is
a special gene resource originally from Tibet. The habitat of this animal is
the plateau from between 3,000 to 5,000 m above sea level in some western
provinces and autonomous regions. Five breeds are recognized and these can be
divided ecologically into two groups: mountain and valley.
Water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)
Chinese
water buffaloes belong to the swamp type, and are widely distributed in 7
provinces and autonomous regions in the temperate and subtropical zones. The
domestication of them is estimated to have occurred as early as 6,000 years ago
and, after long selection, three types and eighteen sub-types were formed.
Sheep (Ovis aries)
Sheep are
one of the earliest domesticated animals in China and are distributed between
28~50o N and 75~135o E. Economically, sheep breeds can be
divided into four groups by fleece type, but all of the local breeds in China
have coarse wool, including carpet-fleece, fur, lamb-skin, mutton-fat and
pen-brush. Genealogically they are derived from Mongolian sheep, Tibetan sheep,
Kazakh sheep and mainland sheep. Ecomorphologically, they are divided into four
types on the basis of tail type: short fat tail, short lean tail, fat-rump tail
and long fat tail. There are a total of 26 breeds of sheep.
Goat (Capra hircus)
Goats are
the most widely distributed animals in China. Due to a long selection time they
have been developed into different economic types: hide, dairy, cashmere,
mutton, lamb-skin and fur. There are 35 breeds.
Horse (Equus caballus)
Horses are
very old draft animals in China, distributed in every zone below 4,000 m above
sea level. Six groups exist in China: Mongolian, Hequ, Kazakh, Tibet, Southwest
and Southeast. Due to various habitats where tribes and nations were different
and due to ecological situations, Chinese horses have been developed into
draft, saddle and meat types. According to incomplete statistics there are 73
breeds and sub-breeds of horses.
Ass (Equuss asinuss)
Chinese
asses are all descendants of the Asian racing ass, and domestication of them
has occurred for several thousand years. There are three types: large, middle
and small. In total, 22 breeds are recognized.
Dog (Canis familiaris)
Mastiff and
Chow are unique Chinese dog breeds. Nine breeds are recognized.
Chicken (Gallus gallus)
Chinese
chickens are descended from a south Yunnan subgroup of wild red chickens (G.
gallus jabouillei). They have been developed into some economic types for
eggs, meat, dual purpose eggs and meat, ornamental and medical. There are 109
breeds in total.
Duck (Anas platyrhynchos domestica)
Ducks are
domesticated varieties of the wild ducks Anas
platyrhynchos and Anas poecilorhyncha. There are 39 local breeds according to
a preliminary survey.
Goose (Anser cygnoides)
Chinese
geese have been mainly developed from Anser
cygnoides, and only one breed
from Anser anser. All geese breeds are local and totoal 22.
Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)
All three
turkey breeds are exotic.
Pigeon (Columba livia domestica)
Chinese
pigeons are for meat and carrier (homing) purposes and there are 4 breeds.
In
addition, there are 17 breeds of camel (Camelus
bactrianus), and 14 breeds of hare (Oryctalagus
cuniculus). As for breeds of cat, there is no authoritative literature that
can be cited. It remains for further study.
Goldfish
Goldfish
for display originated in the Jin Dynasty (265~420 AC) from their wild Crucian
carp ancestor, an edible fish, belonging to the same species (Carassius auratus). It evolved first
from the Crucian carp to a Red crucian carp, with accompanying variation
(idiovariation) during the process of domestication and artificial
hybridization. It is, obviously, a product of artificial propagation with more
than 280 varieties. The valuable varieties are: Red Dragon eyes, Black Dragon
eyes with butterfly tail, Red Dragon-eye bulb, White Dragon-eye bulb, High Red
head (Crane head red), High Purple head, Red Tiger head, Red Lion head,
Multicolored phoenix, Multicolored phoenix bulb, Red bubble and Dull Red
bubble. Chinese goldfish are exported in great numbers all over the world.
Domestic insects
Silk-worms,
including the Mulberry-feeding silkworm (Bombyx
mori), Oak silkworm (Antheraca pernyi),
Castor silkworm (Philosamia cynthia
ricini), Camphor silkworm (Eriogyna
pyreferum), Ailanthus silkworm (Philosamia
cynthia), Chestnut silkworm (Dictyoploca
japonica), Great tallow silkworm (Attacus
atlas) and Willow silkworm (Actias
selene), have a total of 1,270 varieties.
Honey bees
(Apis), including Chinese and Italian
bees, total 16 varieties.
2 Specific
germplasm resources
Special
germplasm resources are available for the breeds and varieties which are unique
for their rich variations in economically important traits, ecological
characteristics and reproductive performances and are under long-term selection
and domestication.
Pigs
Chinese
pigs are famous for tender meat quality and prolificity. Of the various breeds,
the Taihu is the most prominent. Various traits include: miniatures,
mosquito-tolerant, quality bristles, plateau adapted and ham-processing
quality. For one or some of the above traits, representative breeds are the
Wuzhishan, Rongchang. Neijing, Tibetan and Jinhua.
Cattle
The Chinese
zebu is a high-humped cattle, different from the Indian zebu (Bos indicus). The representative breed
is the Hainan cattle (Bos indicus
hainancius). Other breeds, such as the Zhoushan and Dangjiao cattle of the
southeastern coast, include those with an exterior and coat color which are
reminiscent of Bibos cattle. The Dulong and mini-cattle have an unknown origin.
Yak
Unique
breeds of Yak are the Tianzhu white yak, and Datong yak which is mixed with
wild Yak blood.
Sheep
Certain
prominent sheep breeds for prolificity are the Small tailed Han and Hu sheep. A
sheep with a high quality carpet wool is the Qinghai strain of the Tibetan
sheep. The Large tailed Han sheep is the only rare breed with a huge tail.
Goat
Liaoning
cashmere and Inner Mongolian cashmere breeds are famous for ¡¯white soft gold¡¯
fur. Breeds for prolificity and fur are the Jining Grey and the Zhongwei
breeds.
Horse
There are
some interesting Chinese horse breeds, such as the Hequ horse for its walking
pace, the Debao horse for its small size, the Elunchun horse for its forest
habitat and the Tibetan and Yuannan horses for their alpine-tolerances.
Ass
The
Guanzhong ass is large breed with a chest height of more than 130 cm. The
Dezhou ass is used in Chinese medicine as the donkey accessory agent obtained
from the skin-proccessing products.
Chicken
Xianju
chickens are good for egg production, Silk Black Bone chicken is for
traditional medicine. The Beijing You, Palace yellow, is a dining delicacy. The
Chahua and Tibetan chickens are both for entertainment.
Duck
Jinding is
famous for egg production. The Beijing duck is for meat. The Mei duck is a
breed mixed with wild duck. A lot of Ma-partridge varieties are blue-shell egg
producers and which are abundant in micro-elements. The Gaoyou duck is for
Chinese salted eggs.
Goose
The Huo
goose is the world¡¯s most productive egg layer (four times higher than the
ordinary). The Xupu goose is one of the high liver product breeds.
Specific economic species
Bactrian
camel breeds are found in China. The Shuangyang sild-deer is the domesticated
breed of deer. The Chinese pheasant is presently under domestication. The
Red-deer is a farm animal. Some varieties of dogs are world famous pets, like
the Mastiff and Chow.
Domestic insects
The
Ultrathin silk worm and Chinese bee are unique varieties.
3 Domestication
and reproduction of wild animals
This
mainly refers to domesticated (of domesticating) wild animals which have
special ecomical values, such as deer, musk deer (Moschus spp.), black bear (Selearctos
thibetanus), Viverricula indica, Martes spp., Vulpes spp., Nyctereutes
procyonoides, Castor fiber and
others. Among these, there are 15 species and subspecies, and 1 variety of
Cervidae; 5 subspecies of Selearctos thibetanus, and 5 species of Moschus.
4 Losses
of Chinese domestic germplasm
In the late
1970¡¯s, a Farmer-responsible Regime was the main economic reason why the
numbers of large animals, such as horse, ass, cattle and camel, decreased
sharply. In the middle and late 1980¡¯s, exotic lines of pigs and chickens were
introduced and many new local breeds were developed. Chinese pig and chicken
breeds were replaced. During a national investigation into genetic animal
resources in the 1980¡¯s, some breeds were already extinct, such as the Dangjiao
cattle (Shanghai), Yangba cattle (Gansu), Gaotai cattle (Gansu) and Dengchuan
cattle (Yuannan), the Lintao chicken (Gansu), Wuwei Fighting chicken (Gansu),
Taiping chicken (Gansu) and Jiujinhuang chicken (Jiangsu), the Zaobei
large-tailed sheep (Hubei), the Xiangcheng pig (Henan), Dingxian pig (Hebei)
and Shenxian pig (Heber). The endangered breeds were the Hexi pig (48 animals),
Bamei pig (1,000 sows, but no boar), the Ebei Black pig (ten or more), the
Wuzhishan pig (16 sows, no adult boar), the Beijing You chicken (1,000), and
the Jingning chicken (3,000).
During
recent years, local breeds in about 60 cities and mining-industrial regions are
claimed to be endangered. These are the Guanzhong ass, Henan Harness, Tieling
Harness, Jinjiang horse, Grassland Red cattle, Fuzhou cattle, Zaosheng cattle,
Anxi cattle, Weizhou cattle, Zhoushan cattle, Jinan cattle, Dulong cattle, Min
pig, Tongcheng pig, Rongchang pig, Bamaxiang pig, Panlong pig, Wei pig, Liubai
pig, Chalu Black pig, Yayang pig, Beigang pig, Bihu pigs, Hu sheep,
Large-tailed Han sheep, Tong sheep, Tibetan Hun sheep in the Qinghai Lake area,
Taxkorgan sheep, Larg-tailed Lanzhou sheep, Alxa bactrian camel, Tianjin
Fengtou chicken and Xupu goose. This situation and its momentum is increasing
after instructive breeding institutions were closed. Among the domestic
insects, the Aba bee, the Kuandian Chinese bee and the Shanbei bee have few
colonies remaining. According to a census in Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces in
1904, there were 1,270 varieties of silkworms but recently, however, the number
of silkworm varieties kept in the Institute of Sericulture, Chinese Academy of
Agricultural Sciences, is only 700. Due to fluorine pollution, one third of
them have been poisoned. The genetic resources of domestic insects is of,
today, no social interest.
5 Problems
of conservation and sustainable utilization
In the
early 1950¡¯s and middle 1970¡¯s, the General Bureau of Animal Husbandry and
Veterinary Science organized national investigations into animal and bird breed
resources. Later, the ¡°Homeland Elite Domestic Breeds¡± and encyclopedias of
horse, ass, cattle, sheep, pig and birds resources, were published. Based on
researches into parts of domestic fowl and animals, several monographs were
published. This laid the foundations for the conservation of Chinese domestic
animal biodiversity.
With the
support from international organizations, such as UNDP and FAO, the Germplasm
Bank of Forage and Domestic Animals and Fowls in the Institute of Animal
Husbandry, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, has been set up. In
some provinces and autonomous regions, in
situ protected areas were established for the protection of Hu Sheep,
Jinhua pig, Neijiang pig and other endemic germplasm resources, as well as
enabling the exchange between some Chinese databases of livestock species with
the International Cultivar Resources Bank (1988).
Despite
such a large amount of work to set up breed conservation in China, there are
still many problems:
a. Lack of
understanding. Due to uncertain understanding of the importance of genetic
resources in different places, conservation measures for local breeds was
either inefficient of not addressed.
b. Lack of
specific organization. Due to the lack of a specific organization, which could
systematically evaluate and test the resource storage situation and its
management, this conservation work has been interrupted for some years and to
different degrees.
c. Lack of
funds. Due to the shortage of funds for such purposes, investigations were
carried out only in developed and major economic zones. In border areas and in
the ecologically rich but traffic and transport inconvenient remote areas, such
investigations did not take place. Many local breeds remain as hearsay and need
to be investigated.