- Vechur cow
The Vechur cow is a rare breed of "Bos indicus"
cattle named after the village ofVechur inKottayam district,Kerala ,India . With an average length of 124 cm and height of 87 cm it is the smallest cattle breed in the world and is valued for the larger amount of milk it produces relative to the amount of food it requires.A controversy arose when environmentalists opposed an attempt by a Scottish company to patent the cow's genetic code.But it was proved that there was no such attempt by any Institute or company.Those who raised the allegation on patenting Vechur cow genes could not give any evidence (see www.vechur.org-controversy)
Scientists at the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (COVAS), Mannuthy, Thrissur, affiliated to Kerala Agricultural University (KAU), have achieved a remarkable feat by isolating, cloning and sequencing Alpha lactalbumin gene of the Vechur cow.
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