“Water poisoning” kill Yaks in Bumthang:

Every year on December, Bumthang's estimated 5,000 yaks are beginning the descent over 1,000 metres to the winter grazing grounds in the lower valleys. Educating Yak herders is one of the preventive measures against "chuh dug" But some of the animals will not complete the journey, having fallen prey to what is known as chuh …

Yak Herding – A vanishing way of life

Once the mainstay of the Haa valley, its numbers are now on the decline Yak Herding: For Kesang, 59, of Bji gewog in Haa, handling the yak, an essential source livelihood for nomadic communities in the high mountains, is becoming less of a hassle, because of a rapid decrease in its population over the years. …

Haap chugo – highland special – Dusty hardened cheese for sale

If you are going over to Haa, friends and family would expect you to return with a string of chewable 'bones'. The 'bones' are actually smoke dried chugo (hardened cheese), traditional Bhutanese candy, known throughout the country as Haabey Ruto because the chugo is extremely hard. Shaped like thick square coasters with a dark brown …

Butter churner – Necessity leads to farmer’s innovation

Bhutan When 44-year old Ugyen Dorji of Ngala village in Trongsa got a loan and bought some jatsham and jersey cows, he faced a big problem - his herd of cattle produced a lot of milk.He did not mind the quantity of milk since products from it fetched him a monthly income of around Nu.11,000. …

Dwindling demand for yak butter

Of the numerous taxis that zip around Paro town, two are driven by yak herders of Soiyaksa in Tsento geog, Paro dzongkhag. The yak herders sold their land and yaks and settled for a more urban life-style in Paro valley several years ago. One of the mains reasons for switching from herding to cabbying, dzongkhag …

Bumthang: A new role for the nomads

To secure the border by maintaining their territorial identity. There was a time when nomads of Choekhor, Bumthang, trekked for five days with their yaks to a place called Choekong-la, a serene flatland bordering Tibet. There they encountered nomads from across the border, who had travelled for a day with their yaks. While the herders …

The practice of herding yaks may soon come to an end

A village, once synonymous with this domestic animal, now bids farewell to the last of them (and hails a new breed) Shingkhar, Ura, Bumthang: The practice of herding yaks may soon come to an end in the Shingkhar valley of Ura, Bumthang, with the last herd of yak in the village waiting for their new …