Jiulong Yak

Jiulong Yak

The Jiulong Yak is a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　The Jiulong Yak is mainly produced in Jiulong County and the Shad District in the southern part of Kangding County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. The core production area is located on the eastern and western slopes of the Daxue Mountain on both sides of the Jiulong River, specifically in Xieka and Hongba within Jiulong County. It is also distributed across high-altitude grasslands in counties such as Muli, Yan Yuan, Mianning in Liangshan Prefecture, and Shimian in Ya’an Region. In 1994, the production area had approximately 150,000 yaks.

　　The Jiulong Yak is a local premium breed of yak native to China’s Hengduan high mountain region. It features excellent meat performance, high wool and cashmere yield, large body size, and strong carrying capacity. It has a relatively short head with tufted and curly forehead hair, a thick and short neck, slightly raised withers, distinct shoulder humps, well-developed and broad forequarters, open ribs, very deep chest, large but non-sagging belly, straight back and waist, mostly rectangular body shape, shorter hindquarters with less developed musculature, and a croup that is not very wide and slightly sloped. The tail root is low-set, the tail is short, and the tail hair is tufted in a broom-like shape. The limbs, underbelly, and chest apron nearly touch the ground, with relatively short legs—forelegs are straight while the hind legs are bent and powerful. The hooves are small, tightly cleft, and sturdy. The coat color is neat: apart from the grayish-white area around the muzzle, about three-fourths of the body is black, with one-fourth being black-and-white. Adult male yaks weigh 593.5 kg, with a slaughter rate of 57.6% and a net meat rate of 47.9%; adult females weigh 314.4 kg, with a slaughter rate of 56.2% and a net meat rate of 48.5%. Cashmere and wool are produced in roughly equal proportions, with an average annual fleece yield of 1.39 kg for males and 1.79 kg for females.

　　Main characteristics: Divided into two types—tall and hairy. The hairy type produces 5–10 times more cashmere than ordinary yaks. They have a wide forehead and short head with tufted and curly forehead hair. Both males and females have horns with a wide spacing between them. Limbs, chest apron, and underbelly hair nearly touch the ground, and most of the body (about three-fourths) is black, with a few being black-and-white. The neck is thick and short, the withers are slightly raised, there are distinct shoulder humps, the chest is very deep, the back and waist are straight, the croup is not very wide and slightly sloped, the tail root is low-set, and the tail is short. The limbs are relatively short. At 3.5 years old, males stand 114 cm tall and weigh 270 kg, while females stand 110 cm tall and weigh 240 kg. For adult castrated yaks, the slaughter rate is 55%, the net meat rate is 46%, the bone-to-meat ratio is 1:5.5, and the eye muscle area is 88.6 cm²; for males, these figures are 58%, 48%, 1:4.8, and 83.7 cm² respectively; for females, they are 56%, 49%, 1:6.0, and 58.3 cm². They can carry loads of 60–70 kg. The lactation period is five months, with a milk yield of about 350 kg and a milk fat content of 5–7.5%. Male yaks produce 13.9 kg of wool, females 1.8 kg, and castrated yaks 4.3 kg, with cashmere and wool in equal proportions. Female yaks are ready for breeding at 2–3 years old, males at 4–5 years. Breeding typically occurs twice every three years, with a reproduction rate of 68% and a survival rate of 62%.

　　Region:

　　Sichuan

　　Applicant:

　　Jiulong County Animal Husbandry Station

　　Region:

　　2014

　　Geographical Scope

　　The protected geographical indication area for the Jiulong Yak includes all 18 townships in the county. Among them, Tanggu Township, Jia’er Town, Xieka Township, Hongba Township, Wanba Township, and Sanyanlong Township are the main production areas for the Jiulong Yak, while Shangtuan Township, Bawolong Township, Naiqu Township, Wulaxi Township, Kuoduo Township, Yandai Township, Zi’er Township, Taka Township, Duoluo Township, Sanya Township, E’er Township, and Xiaojin Township are considered radiation areas. The geographical coordinates of the protected area are between 101°07′–102°10′ east longitude and 28°19′–29°20′ north latitude. There are currently 53,000 Jiulong Yaks, with an annual slaughter of 5,800 and an annual production of 800 metric tons of yak meat.