Yak

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A 19.5-y-old, male domestic yak ( Bos grunniens) with a history of sudden unexpected death was submitted for autopsy. The yak had hemoabdomen, and a large blood clot was attached to the liver and forestomachs. The hepatic artery had a saccular aneurysm with a 1-cm tear. The arterial wall at the site of the rupture was thin, and the luminal surface was roughened with yellow streaks. The arterial wall adjacent to the rupture was thickened, white, firm, and less elastic than normal arterial walls. Cause of death was concluded to be acute exsanguination. Similar cases with sudden death have been reported in domestic cattle and humans. No risk factors, such as nutritional deficiencies, genetic predisposition, or blunt trauma, were identified in this case, and there was no gross or histologic evidence of generalized vascular disease.

Camels and yaks milks are rich in numerous bioactive substances that function beyond their nutritive value. Camel milk is more similar to goat milk and contains less short-chain fatty acids than cow, sheep and buffalo milks, and about 3 times greater vitamin-C than cow milk. One kg of camel milk meets 100% of daily human requirements for calcium and phosphorus, 57.6% for potassium, 40% for iron, copper, zinc and magnesium, and 24% for sodium. Camel milk helps treat liver problems, lowers bilirubin output, lightens vitamin inadequacy and nutrient deficiency, and boosts immunity. Camel milk reduces allergies caused by cow dairy products. Camel milk has low milk fat made mainly from polyunsaturated fatty acids. It lacks β-lactoglobulin and is rich in immunoglobulins, compatible with human milk. Yak milk has 16.9%-17.7% solids, 4.9%-5.3% protein, 5.5%-7.2% fat, 4.5%-5.0% lactose, and 0.8%-0.9% minerals. Yak milk fat is richer in polyunsaturated fatty acids, protein, casein and fat than cow milk. Yak milk casein is used to produce antihypertensive peptides with capacities for producing value-added functional foods and proteins. Continual systematic education of milk science especially for non-cow species will be an obligation for health implications to be optimally perceived by human populations worldwide.

Yak are a high yielding but underutilized commodity in American agriculture; a sector that could benefit both economically and ecologically from diversification. Diversification in agriculture is important to help alleviate stress on the environment and provide economic security. This analysis used fuzzy overlay to conduct a statewide site suitability analysis in Illinois to locate the most favorable counties and subcounty divisions to begin yak-based agriculture. Yak-based agriculture refers to a farming or ranching operation where yak are raised as a commodity. Based on a review of literature regarding the conditions for successful yak-based agriculture, the fuzzy overlay analysis undertaken here incorporated both continuous data forms, particularly the climate criteria of temperature, precipitation, and vapor pressure deficit, and the categorical data of cropland use and soil associations. While initially considered to be key criteria for successful yak-based agriculture, the factors of slope and market proximity were removed from this analysis. Slope was not included because nowhere in the study area was the slope a limiting factor. Market proximity was not included due to the dense road network and easy road accessibility throughout the state. However, it is noted that these factors should be incorporated in any future studies that replicate this approach. In the final results, Will, Kankakee, and Iroquois counties were found to be suitable locations for potential yak-based agriculture but not highly suitable as Illinois’ climate is not similar to the yak’s native range of Tibet. Conclusions from this analysis and similar ones undertaken in the future have potential to assist county farm bureaus in better understanding how to diversify farming to protect the farmer from potential economic disasters and the soil from the harmful effects of monocropping.

Background: Coenurosis, known commonly as gid, is caused by a tapeworm Taenia multiceps. It is a disease of small ruminants globally but also occurs in large ruminants, especially in yak in the Himalaya. Gid is a pathological condition in young yaks, mostly below
3 years of age. The infected animal displays a circling movement with the head tilting
towards the location of the cyst of a tapeworm on the cerebral surface of the brain.
Objective: We conducted a study with the primary aim to gain an insight into yak
herdsmen's practices to manage Coenurosis in the Laya administrative block of
Bhutan.
Methods: All seven villages of Laya were included for sampling. Seventy-five out
of 182 households owned yaks, and 54 yak-owning households were selected randomly. The government livestock officials of nine yak-rearing highland districts were
also included in the study. A cross-sectional study was conducted based on a questionnaire survey and focussed mainly on herdsmen's practices to manage gid. Two
sets of questionnaires were used for yak herders and livestock officials. Each predesigned questionnaire was semi-structured and consisted of both open– and closedended questions.
Results: The study revealed gid as a major cause of yak mortality. Gid occurred
more in winter during migration and most herders lost one to three yaks annually.
Herdsmen kept an average of two watchdogs and dewormed them once annually.
Similarly, calves were also dewormed once annually. The carcasses of dead yaks were
fed to dogs. Livestock officials were optimistic about controlling the disease in the
future, despite the yak areas being difficult to access. Most herders had not attended
the gid awareness programme. The animal health worker visited herds once annually.
In absence of animal health workers, most herdsmen resorted to different practices
to treat affected yaks –the most common practice being surgery. Gid was mentioned
to harm herdsmen's economy.
Conclusions: The study concluded that for effective management of gid in Laya, livestock agencies must create more awareness on gid, increase the frequency of visits
by animal health workers to yak herds, and increase the frequency of deworming of
watchdogs and calves.

The objective of the study was to determine the timing of ovulation in relation to onset of estrus and the preovulatory LH peak in yaks. For this purpose, a sensitive LH enzymeimmunoassay previously established in buffaloes was successfully validated for measuring the hormone in yak plasma. Plasma LH and progesterone were estimated from blood samples collected from eight non-lactating cycling yaks at 2 h intervals after estrus onset until 6 h after ovulation (ovulation was confirmed by palpation of ovaries per rectum). The mean ± S.E.M. preovulatory plasma LH peak was 10.11 ± 0.35 ng/ml with the values ranging from 8.75 to 11.51 ng/ml in individual yaks. The mean ± S.E.M. duration of the LH surge was 7.25 ± 0.55 h with a range of 6-10 h. Onset of LH surge (mean ± S.E.M.) occurred 3.0 ± 0.65 h after the onset of estrus. Mean plasma progesterone stayed low (<0.25 ng/ml) during the entire duration of sampling. Ovulation occurred 30.5 ± 0.82 h (range, 28-34 h) after the onset of estrus and 20.25 ± 1.03 h after the end of LH surge. The occurrence of the LH peaks within a narrow time frame of 4-8 h post estrus onset in yaks could have contributed to the animals ovulating within a narrow time interval.

Bovine herpesvirus-1 (BoHV-1) causes a variety of disease syndromes including, respiratory, nervous and reproductive disorders both in domestic as well as wild bovines and the disease is prevalent throughout the world including India. In this study, serum samples of yaks were screened for serological evidence of BoHV-1 in a yak farm with history of abortion and kerato-conjuctivitis by competition-ELISA. The result of seroprevalence of BoHV-1 infections in yaks (Poephagus grunniens) revealed that the overall seroprevalence was 60.1%. The sero-prevalence of BoHV-1 infections was highest in male calf (67.7%) followed by yak cows (62.6%), yak bulls (56.8%), and yak heifers (50.0%).