The goat belongs to the family Bovidae (hollow-horned ruminants) and is a member of the genus Capra. Domesticated goats (C. hircus) are descendants of the pasang (C. aegagrus), represented in Europe by the Cretan and Cyclades races. The East was probably their original home, the earliest recorded being the Persian race.
The goat is a versatile animal. It is known as the ‘poor man’s cow in India and as the ‘wet nurse’ of infants in Europe. Goats cari be kept with little expense. Marginal or undulating lands, unsuitable for other types of livestock, may be used and any inexpensive shelter will suffice.
Goat milk is cheap, wholesome, easily digestible and nutritious. It is recommended for use in dyspepsia, peptic ulcer, and pyloric stenosis. It is preferred to cow milk for liver dysfunction, jaundice, biliary disorders, acidosis, and insomnia.
About 75 percent of the total world production of goat meat is produced in tropical and sub-tropical countries. India contributes about 50 percent of the total production in this region.
Goats are also important sources of fresh skins mainly used in the leather trade and in handicrafts, and of pashmina and mohair, the most valuable textile fibers. Goat keeping has now assumed a key position in rural development programs in developing countries. Goat meat and milk are rich in proteins. Goat milk is particularly important for pregnant mothers and young children. To the poor rearing of goats serves as insurance during the economic crisis, goats provide manure, horns, hooves, blood, and bone meal all of which can be sold. In mountain regions of Nepal and Bhutan, they are used for transport
The controversy over goats is about the damage they cause to the environment. On one hand goat is accused as the major cause of deforestation and soil erosion and on the other hand it is claimed as a useful animal for poor people and is responsible for clearing the bushes and making land worth cultivation. As a matter of fact, the goat’s bad reputation arises mainly from its mismanagement by man rather than any inherent fault. Nevertheless, the trend is slowly changing and several states are now encouraging goat husbandry.
The tropics and subtropics contain 350 million (FAO, 1979) out of the total world population of 446 million goats. The goat population has increased by about 19% from 1961 to 1979. Africa and India have the largest goat populations.
According to the livestock census of 1972, India had 64-5 million goats nearly one-fourth of the total world goat population. The goat population of India increased by 17-6 percent from 1951 to 1956, by 9.8 percent from 1956 to 1961, and by 6-1 percent from 1961 to 1966. Similar trends in the continuous increase of the goat population in different states have been observed up to 1982. The maximum number of goats are found in Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. Nearly 40 percent of India’s total goat population is concentrated in these states.