The Changtang goat is a beautiful animal native to the cold and arid region surrounding Ladakh in Kashmir, India. It is also known as pashmina goat Where goat changra. The breed is grown primarily for the production of ultra-fine cashmere wool.
This cashmere wool is known as pashmina once woven. The breed was also bred for meat production in the past. Changtang goat is a cashmere goat and this type of goat develops a thick and warm undercoat, which is the source of cashmere pashmina wool.
Pashmina cashmere wool is considered the best cashmere in the world, its thickness is 12-15 microns. This wool is used for the famous Cashmere Pashmina scarves. Pashmina woolen shawls are exported all over the world at a very high price and are considered the best of their kind.
Changtang goats are commonly domesticated and kept by nomadic communities called changpa in the Changtang region of Greater Ladakh, Kashmir. This region is one of the highest plateaus in the world.
The population of Changtang goats in India is 196,219, mostly in Jammu and Kashmir with small numbers in Punjab and Utrakhand (19th Census 2012).
And the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources has listed the Changtang goat as an endangered species. Learn more about the Changtang goat breed below.
Characteristics of the changtang goat
The Changtang goat is a very beautiful breed of medium-sized domestic goat. They are bred for cashmere production, but they are also very good as a breed of beef goat. They are most often white in color, but they are also found in black, gray or brown.
Both male and female have large swirling horns. The average body weight of a Changtang deer is around 31 kg. And weighs on average about 26 kg. Photo from Wikipedia.
Advantages
Changtang goat is mainly used to produce high quality cashmere wool. But they are also suitable for meat production.
Special Notes
Changtang goats are very active, hardy and strong animals. They are primarily grown in an open-air grazing system throughout the year. They are very cold-hardy animals and can only survive on grass in Ladakh where temperatures drop to minus 20°C.
Changtangs are not very prolific and only have children once a year. And they only produce one child per prank. But the Changtang goat is highly valued for its cashmere production.
Their cashmere wool is harvested once a year, usually in June or July. Hair is collected by combing or cutting. The production of pashmina varies according to the size of the goats, ranging from 70 to 500 grams per goat. See the complete profile of this breed in the following table.
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| Breed name | Chang Tang |
| Other names | Also called by other names such as pashmina goat or changra goat. |
| Purpose of the breed | Cashmere wool, meat |
| Breed size | medium |
| doe | About 26kg |
| Dollar | About 31kg |
| horns | Yes |
| climatic tolerance | All weather conditions (very frost resistant) |
| coat color | Mostly white, but also in black, gray or brown. |
| Suitable for Stall Fed | Not |
| scarcity | general |
| Country/place of origin | India |
