Gongbujiangda Tibetan Pig

Gongbujiangda Tibetan Pig

The Gongbujiangda Tibetan Pig is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　The Tibetan Pig

　　The Tibetan pig is mostly black in coat color, with some individuals exhibiting incomplete “six-white” markings, a few being brown, and some piglets having yellowish-brown longitudinal stripes. They have long and dense bristles, with a thick undercoat beneath the main hair. The pigs are small in size, with a long, straight, and conical snout, a narrow forehead, and few wrinkles on the face. Their ears are small, upright, and highly mobile. Their chest is relatively narrow, their body is shorter, their back and waist are straight or slightly arched, their hindquarters are slightly higher than their forequarters, their hips are sloped, their limbs are sturdy and compact, standing upright, and their hooves are solid, usually with five pairs.

　　 　　Tibetan pigs can adapt to harsh high-altitude cold climates, year-round grazing, and poor feeding and management conditions. In the semi-mountainous regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at altitudes of 2,500–3,500 meters, where the annual average temperature is 7°C–12°C, winter temperatures can drop as low as -15°C, the frost-free period lasts 110–190 days, feed resources are scarce, and the pigs are grazed for only about 10 days a month, Tibetan pigs still survive well. This exceptional adaptability and resilience are unique genetic traits not found in other pig breeds.

　　　　On August 29, 2010, Gongbujiangda County’s application for a “National Tibetan Pig Genetic Resources Reserve” passed preliminary expert review. This means that a Tibetan pig DNA library is expected to be established, which is of great significance for the conservation of Tibetan pig genetic resources.

　　 　　Tibetan pigs are mainly distributed in the forests and valleys of the middle reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River and southeastern Tibet, at elevations of 2,900–4,100 meters. They are an indigenous primitive breed, generally raised in free-range systems, primarily foraging on wild edible plants supplemented with grains. Tibetan pigs are hailed as the “Treasures of the Plateau.”

　　 　　Experts note that the Tibetan pig is a “treasure” in its entirety, with tender meat, high calcium content, low fat, and rich nutrition. In recent years, China has increased efforts to protect and develop Tibetan pig genetic resources, effectively safeguarding the purebred stock while also achieving a certain level of population growth.

　　 　　As early as the 1990s, researchers from the Regional Academy of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences conducted in-depth investigations into Tibetan pig resources and identified the valuable genetic value of Tibetan pigs for the development of animal husbandry. In 1993, the Cuogao Township in Gongbujiangda County was designated as a Tibetan pig conservation area, with the state allocating special funds annually for Tibetan pig preservation. In 2004, the Tibetan pig breed was officially included in the Chinese Livestock Breed Register and recognized as an indigenous primitive pig breed.

　　　　Gongbujiangda County is the best-preserved region for Tibetan pig original breeds in Tibet. To prevent the disappearance of the original Tibetan pig breed or the “invasion” of foreign pig breeds, the county government is actively applying to the national and autonomous regional governments for the establishment of a national Tibetan pig genetic resources reserve. Experts point out that if Tibet can establish a national Tibetan pig genetic resources reserve, specialists will use modern scientific methods to identify certain special-purpose genes within the Tibetan pig genetic resources, sequence and map them, and build a DNA library.