Karakul Sheep (Irad)

Karakul is a breed of fat-tailed sheep that originated in the Bukhara region and is raised for the tightly curled pelts of newborn lambs, known as karakul or astrakhan. In the Soviet period state farms in the Kyzylkum Fringe, the Moiynkum and the lower Karatau specialized in the breed, and the pelts were sold abroad through the Soviet fur auctions in Leningrad.^[1] The pelt trade collapsed after 1991, most of the farms were broken up, and many flocks were crossed with meat breeds. Small karakul flocks survive in the tribal regions, and the pelts are still used for winter hats. Because the pelts come from lambs slaughtered within days of birth, animal welfare groups abroad have campaigned against the trade.^[1]

References

1. ^ Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2023). Transhumant Pastoralism and Rangeland Management in Central Asia. Rome, pp. 88–102.