005– Apr 11, 2025

Theme & Tags:
🌾 Indigenous Breeds, Livelihoods, Industrial Impact, Agricultural Heritage
📘 Category: Environment & Economy | GS Paper 1 & 3

When a sheep disappears, it is not just wool or wealth we lose — but a rhythm that once echoed across the land.

🐏 Key Highlights

About the Breed
- Local name: Pottu aadu
- Found mainly in Thoothukudi & Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu
- White coat with reddish-brown patches – visually distinct
- Hair sheep: No shearing required
- Thrive on natural grazing, adapted to hot, dry climates
Cultural & Economic Significance
- Integral to rural livelihood and tradition
- Helps support education and income for farmers
- A pair sells for ₹18,000–₹20,000
- A symbol of local identity and resilience
Population Data
- 1998: Estimated 31,000 sheep
- Average flock size ~38.6
- Reproductive cycle: One lamb per breeding, slow recovery rate
Threat from SIPCOT Project
- Proposed industrial zone to occupy ~1,000 acres of grazing land
- Grazing loss = existential threat to the breed
- Farmers may abandon livestock due to land shortage
- Could result in cultural and genetic erasure
Conservation Status
- Government farm in Sattur attempting conservation
- But lacks access to extensive grazing land
- Conservationists call for urgent protection measures
- Highlight genetic uniqueness & climate adaptability
Future Challenges
- Younger generation less interested in livestock farming
- If grazing lands are lost, breed will not survive in captivity
- Calls for sustainable farming, eco-sensitive industrial planning

GS Paper 1
- Cultural Heritage & Local Livelihoods
- Role of Indigenous Communities in Conservation
GS Paper 3
- Environmental Impact of Industrial Projects
- Sustainable Agriculture
- Biodiversity & Indigenous Breeds Conservation

To graze is not just to feed. It is to pass on a legacy — hoofprint by hoofprint, patch by patch.

Factories may rise, but what they bury beneath their foundations cannot be rebuilt.