Tamil Nadu’s Kombai dogs are likely to get the national attention as the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBAGR) has launched a study of the breed under a project to document the indigenous dog breeds.
“ICAR has already registered the Rajapalayam and Chippiparai dogs of Tamil Nadu and the Mudhol Hound of Karnataka. Now, we have started the project to study the Kombai breed,” said K.N. Raja, senior scientist of the NBAGR, who is travelling in southern districts of the State with principal scientist A.K. Mishra.
He said the ICAR started registering the indigenous breeds in 2008 to protect the rights of farmers who had been maintaining cattle, buffalo, goat and sheep. Dogs were included in 2020.
Though Kombai refers to a small town in Theni district, the breed is distributed throughout the southern districts. Zoologist Desmond Morris in his book, Dogs: The Ultimate Dictionary of over 1000 Dog Breeds, recorded that the Kombai dogs were well-known for their ability to overcome almost any obstacle in their path.
Naturalist Theodore Baskaran, in The Book of Indian Dogs, has recalled some of the traits of the breed described by British civil servant James Henry Nelson. “Apparently, local rulers, the poligars, fancied them so much that they would. with alacrity, exchange a horse for a Kombai dog,” Mr. Baskaran has said.
The dog’s coat is usually reddish brown, with a paler underside. The long tapering tail is normally held up over its back.
“We are taking the phenotypic measurements of the breed and including height, length, weight, face length, snout length, body colour and utility. These details will be collected from various breeders,” Dr. Raja explained.
Asked whether he was able to come across good specimens, Dr. Raja said the NBAGR team had met around 15 breeders who had kept good dogs. They had also met the descendants of the zamindars of Kombai and Thevaram. “The family in Thevaram is still breeding Kombai dogs,” he said.
He said it would take another six months to complete the study; only thereafter would it be possible to conclude whether or not the standards of the breed had been diluted over the years. “We saw some specimens that were very aggressive. But they remained very loyal and friendly to the owners,” he said.
