Manipur’s indigenous dog Haofa to be registered at ICAR-NBAGR soon

Since time immemorial, Haofa has been a companion of the Tangkhul tribes particularly in Phungcham village, considered one of the oldest Tangkhul villages

The registration process for Manipur’s Haofa– an indigenous dog breed, is in its final stage at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBAGR), Haryana, officials said.

Manipur’s indigenous dog Haofa (HT Photo/Tennoson Pheirey)

“The registration process is almost at its final stage as we are submitting a report in this regard based on the format for registration of the breed,” said professor Dr Th Ranadhir Singh of central agricultural university (CAU) in Imphal.

Dr Singh, who heads the animal science department of CAU, has been for the last few years studying Haofa– the only indigenous canine breed from the Northeast found in the villages of Manipur’s Ukhrul district. This canine breed is known to possess unique hunting skills and is a good companion of humans.

Since time immemorial, Haofa has been a companion of the Tangkhul tribes particularly in Phungcham village, considered one of the oldest Tangkhul villages. A spear and Haofa is a must companion for any man with responsibility, according to Phungcham Haofa lovers association president Tennoson Pheirey.

“The number of Haofa is decreasing rapidly and is almost on the verge of extinction,” Tennoson said adding “...therefore, I along with some of my village folks formed the Phungcham Haofa lovers association to breed and rear more Haofa and also to popularise it.”

Interestingly, no other canine breed is permitted to rear in Phungcham village, which presently houses around 150 adult Haofas.

Besides, the owners are also not allowed to sell their female Haofa puppies outside the village. The villagers estimated that there might be a maximum of 1,000 Haofas across 238 villages in Ukhrul district.

Considering the present status of the indigenous dog breed, the Phungcham Haofa lovers association, in collaboration with Phungcham village authority & other stakeholders organised the first Haofa festival at Phungcham village under Ukhrul district on December 8.

Manipur’s veterinary & animal husbandry minister Khashim Vashum, who was present during the recent festival also observed that Haofa breeding can be up as it has immense potential to enhance the rural economy.

It may be mentioned that the Manipur chicken Kaunayen, which is reared mainly for cock fighting, was registered as the 17th chicken breed in the country in June 2016, following necessary formalities by CAU in association with ICAR-NBAGR Haryana.